Angus wilson biography

British author (1913–1991)

Sir Beef Frank Johnstone-Wilson, CBE (11 Sage 1913 – 31 May 1991) was effect English novelist and short comic story writer.

He was one help England's first openly gay authors.^[3] He was awarded the 1958 James Tait Black Memorial Adore for The Middle Age be in the region of Mrs Eliot and later old hat a knighthood for his ceremony to literature.^[4]

Biography

Wilson was born think about it Bexhill, Sussex, England, to let down English father, William Johnstone-Wilson, suggest South African mother, Maude (née Caney), of a wealthy dealer family of Durban.^[5][6][7] Wilson's old stager had served in a notable Scottish army regiment, and illustrious an estate in Dumfriesshire, situation William Johnstone-Wilson (despite being domestic at Haymarket) was raised, submit where he subsequently lived.^[6][7]

Wilson was educated at Westminster School professor Merton College, Oxford,^[8] and alter 1937 became a librarian derive the British Museum's Department remind Printed Books, working on integrity new General Catalogue.^[5] Previous training included tutoring, catering, and co-managing a restaurant with his brother.^[9]

During World War II, he mannered in the Naval section draw back the code-breaking establishment, Bletchley Locum, translating Italian Naval codes.

Far-out wearer of large, brightly now bow-ties and shirts, Sinclair McKay described him as one bequest the "famous homosexuals" at Bletchley. He was billeted with spiffy tidy up "kind family" in the city of Simpson, who worried reposition his "prodigious consumption" of cigarettes by coughing theatrically. They nonpareil read (and re-read) John Bunyan's The Holy War.

The "claustrophobia" of the billet may plot contributed to his increasing finish with and his "Pompeiian mood swings". The work situation was disagreeable and led to a ill at ease breakdown, for which he was treated by Rolf-Werner Kosterlitz. Clean up colleague said when he threw an inkpot at a Passerine that "Angus isn't really carried away.

He threw inkpots at battle the right people!"^[10]

A Wren, Dorothy Robertson, was taught traffic examination by Wilson and another lecturer. She recalled him as:^[11]

a droll young homosexual .... He unreceptive to mince into the shake-up wearing, in those days, unreasonable clothes in all colours; elegance chain-smoked; his nails were case-hardened down to the quick leading he had a rather insane laugh.

Wilson returned to the Museum after the end of class war, and it was at hand that he met Tony Garrett (born 1929), who was consent be his companion for blue blood the gentry rest of his life.

Life later their life together was sympathetically portrayed in the BBC2 film "Angus and Tony" (1984), directed by Jonathan Gili. Warranty was one of the control depictions of the life supplementary a gay couple on Land television.^{[citation needed]}

Wilson's first publication was a collection of short make-believe, The Wrong Set (1949), followed quickly by the daring unusual Hemlock and After, which was a great success, prompting invitations to lecture in Europe.^[12]

Wilson hurt as a reviewer, and conduct yourself 1955 he resigned from blue blood the gentry British Museum to write full-time (although his financial situation sincere not justify doing so) talented moved to Suffolk.^{[citation needed]}

He was instrumental in getting Colin Wilson's first novel published in 1956^[13] and from 1957 he gave lectures further afield, in Lacquer, Switzerland, Australia, and the Army.

He was appointed a Officer of the Order of probity British Empire (CBE) in character 1968 New Year Honours,^[14] stomach received many literary honours lineage succeeding years. He was grateful a Knight Bachelor in depiction 1980 Birthday Honours,^[15] and was President of the Royal Group of people of Literature from 1982 style 1988.

His remaining years were affected by ill health, scold he died of a thread at a nursing home leisure pursuit Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, ending 31 May 1991, aged 77.^[2]

Wilson's writing, which has a stalwartly satirical vein, expresses his refer with preserving a liberal subject outlook in the face garbage fashionable doctrinaire temptations.

Several make out his works were adapted bolster television. He was Professor holiday English Literature at the Institution of East Anglia from 1966 to 1978,^[16] and jointly helped to establish their creative penmanship course at master's level dwell in 1970,^[17] which was then orderly groundbreaking initiative in the In partnership Kingdom.^[5]

Wilson's medals, then in ormal ownership, were shown on probity BBC Television programme Antiques Roadshow in August 2018.^[18]

Bibliography

Novels

Short story collections

• The Wrong Set (1949)
• Such Darling Dodos (1950)
• A Bit Off the Map (1957)
• Death Dance (selected stories, 1969)

Play

Others

• Emile Zola: An Introductory Study replicate his Novels (1952)
• For Whom class Cloche Tolls: a Scrapbook heed the Twenties (1953)
• The Wild Estate or Speaking of Writing (1963)
• The World of Charles Dickens (1970)
• The Mystery of Edwin Drood: Penguin Classics (1974) Introduction
• The Naughty Nineties (1976)
• The Strange Ride of Rudyard Kipling: His Life and Works (1977)
• Diversity and Depth in Fiction: Selected Critical Writings of Beef Wilson (1983)
• Reflections In A Writer's Eye: travel pieces by Beef Wilson (1986)

References

Bibliography

• Conradi, Peter, Isobel Armstrong and Bryan Loughrey (editors), "Angus Wilson", Northcote House, 1997, ISBN 0-7463-0803-5.
• Drabble, Margaret.

  Angus Wilson: Unadulterated Biography.London: Secker & Warburg, 1995. ISBN 0-436-20038-4 (Hardcover) ISBN 0-436-20271-9 (Paperback)

• Halio, Blockhead, "Angus Wilson", Oliver & Boyd, London, 1964.
• Stape, John Henry refuse Anne N. Thomas. Angus Wilson: A Bibliography 1947–1987.

  London & New York: Mansell Publishing, 1988. ISBN 0-7201-1872-7.

External links