New Biography Reveals Terry Jones’s Complex life Beyond Monty Python
A new biography, Seriously Silly: Teh Life of Terry Jones by Robert Ross, offers a comprehensive portrait of the Monty Python member, revealing a life marked by both comedic brilliance and personal struggles. Published by coronet (£25), the book delves into Jones’s career from his early days at Oxford to his work on Monty Python’s Flying Circus and beyond, including his directorial efforts like monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Ross’s biography explores Jones’s multifaceted personality, detailing his scholarship in medieval literature, his passion for filmmaking, and his later battle with primary progressive aphasia – a neurological condition that impacted his speech. The book also touches on Jones’s unfulfilled projects, such as the abandoned Monty python’s Third World War, envisioned with the Pythons as aged knights and archive recordings of Graham Chapman as the voice of King Arthur’s ashes. The author portrays a man driven by creative ambition,often frustrated by the collaborative nature of Python and the challenges of bringing his visions to fruition.
The biography is available for purchase at guardianbookshop.com, with potential delivery charges applying.
