Books; PICK OF THE WEEK

Frederic Raphael Thur

Waterstone's Camden, London NW1

Pretty early on in Eyes Wide Open (Orion pounds 12.99), Frederic Raphael's memoir about working with Stanley Kubrick, which the author will read from this week, there are portentous signs that Kubrick is going to do him down on the deal.

Raphael, an Oscar-winning scriptwriter and novelist, was thrilled by the idea of collaborating with the late director on Eyes Wide Shut. But there was no such thing as "collaboration" for Kubrick, who simply wanted a hired hand to provide raw material which would help him relocate Schnitzler's Traumnovelle to modern-day New York. When the script was finished, Raphael got the kiss-off.

"He could never, I now realise, be interested in my contributing anything outstanding to his film; what was manifestly mine would detract from him," says Raphael, in this readable and amusing look at the ironies of working with a true maverick.

Waterstone's, 128 Camden High Street, London NW1 (0171-284 4948) Thur, 7pm, pounds 2

Stuart Price