Stammer campaigners welcome positive portrayal in Burfitt-Dons’ new spy novel, but want more expose in the media
Gordon Carlisle, the protagonist of Our Man In Kuwait is a gentle giant with a soft stutter. Why does that make him an anti-hero?
The newly-released spy thriller based on true facts covers the little-known story of activities in the lead up to Operation Vantage, a British military operation to the Gulf in 1961.
‘The character of Carlisle was fashioned on my own father who had a stammer. I saw no reason to change that fact,’ says the author, Louise Burfitt-Dons.
In the book Carlisle pals up with visiting author Ian Fleming who is known to have suffered bullying at school and struggled for a while with speech.
‘You don’t hear a stammer in films unless it is as a comic character,’ says Betony Kell, former trustee of STAMMA, the British Stammering Association. ‘Research shows that when people stumble in their speech they are dismissed as weaker, which is definitely not the case.’
A vulnerable stutter can display triumph in the face of adversity. King George VI became the ultimate model of courage and resilience having to overcome stammering to deliver rallying speeches during the War.
STAMMA are campaigning to refashion how the world views stammering via more positive representation in films. Burfitt-Dons, who has also written for the screen, believes this is unlikely to be soon and negative portrayal is not the reason why.
‘To play a lead role with a stammer puts huge pressure on an actor and director, she says. ‘As it is, to deliver clear dialogue is a challenge for any film maker. But a book is a different matter.’