The Death of Grass
OCLC 2160136 | |
The Death of Grass (US title No Blade of Grass) is a 1956
It was published in the United States both in book form and serialized in The Saturday Evening Post, as No Blade of Grass; supposedly the US publisher thought the original title "sounded like something out of a gardening catalogue".[1] Its publication in The Saturday Evening Post provoked considerable reaction amongst its readers on account of its portrayal of government's response to the unfolding worldwide crisis. The film rights were sold to MGM;[2] the 1970 film, No Blade of Grass, was produced and directed by Cornel Wilde.
Plot
A new virus strain has infected rice crops in
The novel follows the struggles of engineer John Custance and his friend, civil servant Roger Buckley, as, along with their families, they make their way across an England which is rapidly descending into
Before reaching the valley, John takes in a large group of peaceful survivors. The group later survives encounters with a violent biker gang and soldiers attacking a farmhouse. After arriving at the valley, they find that John's brother is unable to let them all in to the heavily defended valley. Pirrie prevents John from taking only his immediate family into the valley; instead, the group takes the valley by force. Pirrie and John's brother are killed; John takes possession of the valley.
Adaptations
A dramatised version was broadcast on BBC radio in 1957.[3] Another adaptation for the BBC World Service was broadcast in 1986.[4]
A film adaptation, No Blade of Grass (1970), was produced and directed by Cornel Wilde.
In 2009, as part of a BBC Radio 4 science fiction season, the station broadcast a drama in five episodes, based on the novel and narrated by David Mitchell.[5]
In popular culture
In the 2017 television series Feud, Joan Crawford (played by Jessica Lange) is portrayed rejecting the book as a possible movie source.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Robert Macfarlane, "Introduction" in John Christopher (2009). The Death of Grass. Penguin.
- ^ John Christopher's life and works
- ^ "The Death of Grass - BBC Home Service Basic, 29 April 1957". BBC Genome Project. 29 April 1957. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- ^ "BBCWS+RA.cc: John Christopher's The Death Of Grass RADIO DRAMA (1986) – SFFaudio". 2 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ "Woman's Hour Drama - The Death of Grass". BBC. 2 March 2009.