'That's all I ask from anyone. That we try to make the people happy.' Bill Shankly had one aim: to make Liverpool Football Club invincible. As its manager from 1959, he secured the team promotion, the First Division title, the FA Cup and success in Europe. For fifteen years, he defined what it was to be a Liverpool fan, and demanded total loyalty from his players and coaches. A loyalty that Bill hoped would be repaid when he retired... David Peace's iconic novel Red or Dead is the fictionalised story of a game, a life, and a man of two halves. This stage version is adapted and directed by Phillip Breen, and first performed at the Royal Court Liverpool in 2025, with a cast including Peter Mullan as Shankly.
David Peace
David Peace is a British author known for his gritty crime novels that often explore real-life crimes and events. His most notable works include the Red Riding Quartet, which is a series of novels set in Yorkshire during the 1970s and 1980s, and "GB84," a novel about the 1984-85 miners' strike in Britain.
Peace's writing style is characterized by its dark and intense atmosphere, as well as its use of fragmented narrative and stream-of-consciousness techniques. He is known for his meticulous research and attention to detail, which adds a sense of realism to his work.
Peace's contributions to literature include pushing the boundaries of the crime genre and challenging traditional storytelling conventions. His work has been praised for its originality and boldness, and he has been recognized as a leading voice in contemporary British literature.
One of Peace's most famous works is "Nineteen Seventy-Four," the first novel in the Red Riding Quartet. This novel, along with the rest of the series, has been adapted into a successful television series, further solidifying Peace's reputation as a master of crime fiction.
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'Absolutely gripping.' The Times, 'Best books of 2024'
