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John Boynton Priestley

ジョン・ボーントン・プリーストリ

Jon Bōnton Purīsutorī

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1894-09-13 (Manningham, Bradford)
Died
1984-08-14 (Alveston, Warwickshire) age 89
Nationality
United Kingdom, England
Languages
English
Residence History
Highgate, London → Alveston, Warwickshire

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Playwright, Screenwriter, Broadcaster, Commentator
Active Years
1918-1984
Memberships
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Common Wealth Party

Education

Belle Vue Grammar School
General
Period: 〜1910
Country: United Kingdom
Left school at age 16 to work as a clerk
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
History
Degree: 上級二等
Period: 1919-1921
Year of Graduation: 1921
Country: United Kingdom
Transferred from English Tripos to History

Awards

James Tait Black Memorial Prize
1929
Work: The Good Companions
Category: フィクション
Organization: University of Edinburgh
Result: 受賞
Order of Merit
1977
Organization: British Royal Family
Result: 受章
Freedom of the City of Bradford
1973
Organization: Bradford City Council
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Good Companions

1929 Novel

A novel about a troupe of entertainers, reflecting his Yorkshire background.

Class societyFriendshipTravel
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Good Companions / Victor Saville (1933)
  • [Film] The Good Companions / J. Lee Thompson (1957)

An Inspector Calls

1945 Play

A play with time slip elements critiquing society.

Social justiceClassResponsibility
Adaptations
  • [Film] An Inspector Calls / Guy Hamilton (1954)
  • [Film] An Inspector Calls (2015)

Bibliography

  • The Good Companions (1929)
  • Angel Pavement (1930)
  • Dangerous Corner (1932)
  • An Inspector Calls (1945)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
RealismInfluenced by time theoriesHumour
Recurring Motifs
Time slipsYorkshire settingsSocial class

Health

  • Trench mortar wound
    1916
    Buried alive, severely wounded, months in hospital
  • Poison gas effects
    1918
    Long-term health effects
  • Pneumonia
    1984
    Cause of death

Legacy

Important 20th-century English novelist and playwright known for time theories and social commentary.

Museums

  • J. B. Priestley Library University of Bradford Opened in 1975

Archives

  • University of Bradford J. B. Priestley Archive
  • Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin

Trivia

  • Served in WWI and wounded
  • BBC broadcasts second only to Churchill in popularity
  • Founding member of Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament