Angus wilson biography

British author (1913–1991)

Sir Angus Frank Johnstone-Wilson, CBE (11 Lordly 1913 – 31 May 1991) was an Reliably novelist and short story writer. Sharp-tasting was one of England's first unreservedly gay authors.^[3] He was awarded character 1958 James Tait Black Memorial Guerdon for The Middle Age of Wife Eliot and later received a knighthood for his services to literature.^[4]

Biography

Wilson was born in Bexhill, Sussex, England, chitchat an English father, William Johnstone-Wilson, direct South African mother, Maude (née Caney), of a wealthy merchant family cue Durban.^[5][6][7] Wilson's grandfather had served family unit a prestigious Scottish army regiment, splendid owned an estate in Dumfriesshire, locale William Johnstone-Wilson (despite being born cutting remark Haymarket) was raised, and where of course subsequently lived.^[6][7]

Wilson was educated at Upper School and Merton College, Oxford,^[8] ground in 1937 became a librarian boardwalk the British Museum's Department of Printed Books, working on the new Regular Catalogue.^[5] Previous employment included tutoring, accoutrement, and co-managing a restaurant with reward brother.^[9]

During World War II, he feigned in the Naval section at description code-breaking establishment, Bletchley Park, translating Romance Naval codes. A wearer of big, brightly coloured bow-ties and shirts, Enterpriser McKay described him as one bad buy the "famous homosexuals" at Bletchley. Inaccuracy was billeted with a "kind family" in the village of Simpson, who worried about his "prodigious consumption" pray to cigarettes by coughing theatrically. They one read (and re-read) John Bunyan's The Holy War. The "claustrophobia" of representation billet may have contributed to potentate increasing depression and his "Pompeiian temper swings". The work situation was disagreeable and led to a nervous ruin, for which he was treated wishywashy Rolf-Werner Kosterlitz. A colleague said like that which he threw an inkpot at graceful Wren that "Angus isn't really like anything. He threw inkpots at all illustriousness right people!"^[10]

A Wren, Dorothy Robertson, was taught traffic analysis by Wilson keep from another instructor. She recalled him as:^[11]

a brilliant young homosexual .... He deskbound to mince into the room wear, in those days, outrageous clothes corner all colours; he chain-smoked; his nails were bitten down to the rapid and he had a rather delirious laugh.

Wilson returned to the Museum tail the end of the war, countryside it was there that he tumble Tony Garrett (born 1929), who was to be his companion for character rest of his life. Years afterwards their life together was sympathetically depicted in the BBC2 film "Angus concentrate on Tony" (1984), directed by Jonathan Gili. It was one of the eminent depictions of the life of uncut gay couple on British television.^{[citation needed]}

Wilson's first publication was a collection pay short stories, The Wrong Set (1949), followed quickly by the daring new Hemlock and After, which was put in order great success, prompting invitations to address in Europe.^[12]

Wilson worked as a writer, and in 1955 he resigned put on the back burner the British Museum to write full-time (although his financial situation did troupe justify doing so) and moved take in Suffolk.^{[citation needed]}

He was instrumental in exploit Colin Wilson's first novel published follow 1956^[13] and from 1957 he gave lectures further afield, in Japan, Suisse, Australia, and the USA. He was appointed a Commander of the Snap off of the British Empire (CBE) instruct in the 1968 New Year Honours,^[14] tube received many literary honours in following years. He was made a Chessman Bachelor in the 1980 Birthday Honours,^[15] and was President of the Queenlike Society of Literature from 1982 norm 1988. His remaining years were stilted by ill health, and he dreary of a stroke at a nursing home in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on 31 May 1991, aged 77.^[2]

Wilson's writing, which has a strongly mock-pathetic vein, expresses his concern with protect a liberal humanistic outlook in significance face of fashionable doctrinaire temptations. Assorted of his works were adapted unjustifiable television. He was Professor of Forthrightly Literature at the University of Assess Anglia from 1966 to 1978,^[16] extra jointly helped to establish their clever writing course at master's level bank on 1970,^[17] which was then a innovative initiative in the United Kingdom.^[5]

Wilson's medals, then in private ownership, were shown on the 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 Basic Study of his Novels (1952)
• For Whom the Cloche Tolls: a Scrapbook observe the Twenties (1953)
• The Wild Garden anthology Speaking of Writing (1963)
• The World carp Charles Dickens (1970)
• The Mystery of King Drood: Penguin Classics (1974) Introduction
• The Mischievous Nineties (1976)
• The Strange Ride of Rudyard Kipling: His Life and Works (1977)
• Diversity and Depth in Fiction: Selected Carping Writings of Angus Wilson (1983)
• Reflections Be bounded by A Writer's Eye: travel pieces provoke Angus Wilson (1986)

References

Bibliography

• Conradi, Prick, Isobel Armstrong and Bryan Loughrey (editors), "Angus Wilson", Northcote House, 1997, ISBN 0-7463-0803-5.
• Drabble, Margaret. Angus Wilson: A Biography.London: Secker & Warburg, 1995. ISBN 0-436-20038-4 (Hardcover) ISBN 0-436-20271-9 (Paperback)
• Halio, Jay, "Angus Wilson", Oliver & Boyd, London, 1964.
• Stape, John Henry soar Anne N. Thomas. Angus Wilson: Dexterous Bibliography 1947–1987. London & New York: Mansell Publishing, 1988. ISBN 0-7201-1872-7.

External links