Product Description

John Boynton Priestley, best known for "Time and the Conways" and "An Inspector Calls", was a writer of great versatility, producing essays, novels and plays, in addition to working as a journalist and broadcaster. He was born in 1894 in Bradford and served in the army during World War I before going to Trinity College, Cambridge, where his writing career began. He had a number of novels published in the 1920s and, in 1932, his first stage play, "Dangerous Corner", achieved instant acclaim. During World War II, his famous postscript broadcasts raised morale and were much envied by Winston Churchill. In the 1950's, he worked as a delegate for UNESCO and his article "Britain and the Nuclear Bomb" sparked off the formation of the CND. He married three times, his third wife being the famous archaeologist Jacquetta Hawkes, with whom he lived in Alveston, near Stratford-upon-Avon for most of their long and happy marriage. Priestly died in 1984, but his plays continue to enjoy critical and commercial success.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #62578 in Books
• Published on: 2000-06-21
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 103 pages

Customer Reviews

J B Priestley by Dulcie Gray
Dulcie Gray's recently published work is a volume in a series of 34 biographies covering the lives of a diverse cross-section of the famous down the centuries ranging from Cleopatra to Marilyn Monroe, from Sigmund Freud to Enid Blyton, not forgetting Winston Churchill, Priestley's unwitting sparring partner in the early days of the war when both of them, in their different ways, rallied the British people with their radio broadcasts. Dame Dulcie's book is a thoroughly workmanlike description of Priestley's life and work. The book starts with a very useful chronological list of the landmarks of Priestley's life mentioning in passing his most memorable works. A helpful family tree precedes a Preface in which the author acknowledges the many years of friendship and professional co-operation enjoyed by her and her husband Michael Denison.

As Dame Dulcie says in her book, she and Michael were friends of Priestley for over 50 years. She writes as a friend, affectionately and yet robustly, not afraid to mention his faults, his prediliction for "other men's wives" and his grumpiness, the latter being a trait often latched upon by his critics but which she attributes to the mental scarring caused by his awful experiences in the Great War. The eight chapters of the book deal with different aspects of J B's life but the author does not hog the limelight, frequent quotations from Priestley's writings, some quite lengthy, illuminate the range of this massively talented writer.

Starting with the early years with references to Priestley's parents and other relatives the narrative proceeds smoothly, providing a balanced picture of his literary and theatrical achievements intermingled with details of his private life, the latter, although complicated at times never seeming to affect his prodigious outpouring of material. Dame Dulcie must have been constrained by the format of the series and the necessity to restrict herself to a certain length but she is able to bring a personal touch to what might otherwise have been a rountine potted life history. As it is the book not only encapsulates the life and achievements of a great writer but it manages to flesh out something of his persona and present us with a rounded portrait in a concise and very readable manner. For the student or someone taking an early interest in Priestley this is an excellent guide which will whet the appetite, for the more established enthusiasts this book provides a first class aide-memoir with easy access to historical details.

J B Priestley by Dulcie Gray, Sutton Pocket Biographies, 92 pages.

Rod Slater