Leonie Orton Barnett, sister of Leicester-born writer Joe Orton, is to unveil a specially commissioned pot to mark the 50th anniversary of Orton’s first stage play.
The University of Leicester David Wilson Library commissioned it from ceramicist Rachel Barnett, Orton’s niece.
The pot reflects Entertaining Mr Sloane’s central themes and features quotations from the characters. Its “Ortonesque” style is said to “mirror the author’s trademark combination of humour and horror”. The handles, for example, consist of a set of false teeth.
The unveiling on Friday (14 November) takes place as part of the university’s Literary Leicester festival which celebrates the city’s literary legacy.
Dr Emma Parker of the School of English, which produced a 50th anniversary edition of Entertaining Mr Sloane earlier in 2014, said, “this wonderful pot not only commemorates the play but will ignite new interest in Orton’s work and entice people into the Orton archive.
“Come along and be the first to see the latest addition to the library’s growing collection of contemporary art and celebrate the play that launched Orton’s career.”
The university’s Orton archive includes manuscripts, letters and other original material written, compiled or collected by John Kingsley (Joe) Orton (1933-1967) along with correspondence and memorabilia received and collected by members of the Orton family.
It includes scripts and drafts of plays both published and unpublished, correspondence mostly with his agent Peggy Ramsay, a diary of his stay in Tangier, scrapbooks and press cuttings and programmes, photographs and personal memorabilia of both Orton and his lover Kenneth Halliwell.
Also included is the screenplay of Alan Bennett's Prick Up Your Ears, based on the biography of Joe Orton written by John Lahr. The university bought the archive from the Orton estate in 1997.
Literary Leicester takes place from Wednesday until Saturday (12 to 15 November). Will Self, Leicester children’s writer Bali Rai and Leicester-born former children’s laureate Anne Fine, author of the novel that became the film Mrs Doubtfire, will attend.
They will pay tribute to Leicester author and Adrian Mole creator Sue Townsend who died in April as well as holding discussions about Charles Darwin, Evelyn Waugh and the Canterbury Tales.
Further information about Literary Leicester is available at the University of Leicester web site.