Leon Arden

Seesaw Sunday was published in the States (Crown, Dell) and then was bought by Whiting & Wheaton in London. But days before the hard cover publication date it was withdrawn from bookstores in Britain by Robert Maxwell who had just purchased Whiting & Wheaton. This house became part of Maxwell’s Pergamon Press, which had a strong religious list and this, apparently, made my novel unsuitable. The Guardian called the event an act of censorship. The novel was finally published in Britain by Panther Books. 

The Twilight’s Last Gleaming, my third novel, was written in Paris and also published by Crown. 

My next, One Fine Day (W. W. Norton) has had an eventful life. It was sent to Columbia Pictures who kept it for several months and then turned it down. Subsequently it was bought by Disney. But then Columbia came out with the film Groundhog Day that my lawyers and I were convinced was plagiarized from my novel. We sued and the case was heard in US District Court in New York. The judge agreed that the idea was mine but ruled that an idea cannot be subject to copyright. (See Arden vs Columbia Pictures, December 7th 1995). Disney dropped the project when Columbia released the movie. 

Of the plays I’ve written, The Midnight Ride of Alvin Bloom, written with Donald Honig, was given three separate summer stock productions in the States (late 1960's-early 1970's). One of these was directed by Alan Alda. Hi-Fidelity was optioned in London by Tennant in 1990.  

My latest play, Shakespeare’s Place is currently trying to find a company and stage. Please select it from the menu for further information. 

Short stories of mine have been published in magazines in the US, Britain, South Africa and Australia.  

I am married to the English novelist and historian Frances Hill and we have a daughter, Tamarin. We live in London but spend each summer in Connecticut.