Somerset Maugham Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 0 (1967) Winner
B. S. Johnson
ビー・エス・ジョンソン
Bī Esu Jonson
Aliases:
Bryan Stanley William Johnson
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1933-02-05 （Hammersmith, London）
- Died
- 1973-11-13 （Islington, London） age 40
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Unknown
- Residence History
- Hammersmith, London → Barnes, London → Chobham, Surrey → High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire → Islington, London
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, poet, literary critic, film director, television producer
- Active Years
- 1963-1973
- Affiliations
- Transatlantic Review (poetry editor)
- Influenced By
- Zulfikar Ghose
- Influenced
- Jonathan Coe
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King's College London | — | Department of English | BA (2:2) | 1956-1959 | United Kingdom |
| Kingston Day Commercial School | — | Commercial | — | — | United Kingdom |
King's College London
Department of English
Degree:
BA (2:2)
Period:
1956-1959
Year of Graduation:
1959
Country:
United Kingdom
Obtained 2:2 degree in English
Kingston Day Commercial School
Commercial
Country:
United Kingdom
Learned shorthand, typing, and bookkeeping
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Eric Gregory Award | — | — | Society of Authors | Winner |
| 1967 | Somerset Maugham Award | — | — | Somerset Maugham Trust | Winner |
Eric Gregory Award
1962
Organization:
Society of Authors
Result:
Winner
Somerset Maugham Award
1967
Organization:
Somerset Maugham Trust
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Albert Angelo
1964 Experimental novelExperimental novel about builder Albert, featuring cut-through pages allowing readers to skip ahead.
Blurring of reality and fictionAuthorial intrusion
The Unfortunates
1969 Experimental novelA sports journalist mourns a friend in Nottingham. Published unbound in a box, allowing readers to arrange chapters freely except first and last.
DeathMemoryRandomness
Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry
1973 Experimental novelClerk Christie applies double-entry bookkeeping to life, escalating revenge satirically.
Critique of capitalismViolenceBureaucracy
Adaptations
- [Film] Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry / Paul Tickell (2000)
Bibliography
- Travelling People
- Albert Angelo
- Trawl
- The Unfortunates
- House Mother Normal
- Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry
- See the Old Lady Decently
- Poems
- The Evacuees
- Poems Two
- London Consequences
Adaptations
- Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry (2000 film)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Experimental narrative techniquesModernismDiscontinuous structures (cut pages, unbound book)Autobiographical intrusions
- Recurring Motifs
- Working-class lifePersonal lossBoundaries between reality and fiction
Health
-
Depression1970年代初頭Commercial failure and family problems contributed to suicide in 1973
Legacy
Gained cult following posthumously. Re-evaluated through Jonathan Coe's biography 'Like a Fiery Elephant'. B. S. Johnson Society established. Papers held at British Library.
Academic Societies
- B. S. Johnson Society
Archives
- British Library
In Popular Culture
- Influenced indie band Los Campesinos!
- Tributed by Pernice Brothers
- Event in Nottingham for The Unfortunates
Quotes
-
I shall be much more famous once I'm dead.
Source: Statement to his agent (1973)
Trivia
- Born into working-class family, self-taught Latin
- Left school at 16 to work as accounting clerk
- Self-prepared to enter King's College London
- Made numerous experimental films
- Predicted posthumous fame the day before suicide