CHAPLIN’S ONLY NOVEL DISCOVERED IN ITALY

The only novel ever written by Charlie Chaplin has been discovered in Italy and “restored,” according to published reports. The novel, titled Floodlights, concerns a comedian whose career is on the wane but who vows to stage a comeback, and a dispirited dancer who seeks his support. According to the Cineteca di Balogna, which reported the discovery, it was written in 1948 and was eventually turned into the screenplay for Chaplin’s movie Limelight in 1952. The Hollywood Reporter said that it is just 34,000 words — about 80 pages — and, according to the Cineteca di Bologna was “pieced together” from Chaplin’s notes, scripts and vignettes. When Chaplin’s nearly 600-page My Autobiography was released in 1964, it was hailed by many critics, including the Chicago Tribune, which called it “The best autobiography ever written by an actor. An astonishing work.”