Wikipedia

John Braine

For the English footballer, seeJonny Brain.

John Gerard Braine(13 April 1922 – 28 October 1986)[1]was an English novelist. Braine is usually listed among theangry young men,a loosely defined group of English writers who emerged on the literary scene in the 1950s.

John Braine
Braine in 1962
Born(1922-04-13)13 April 1922
Bradford,West Riding of Yorkshire,England
Died28 October 1986(1986-10-28)(aged 64)
OccupationNovelist
Known forRoom at the Top(1957)

Early life

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John Braine was born in the Westgate area of centralBradford,West Riding of Yorkshire.The family later moved to the suburb of Thackley on the northern edge of the city. Braine leftSt. Bede's Grammar Schoolat 16 and worked in a shop, a laboratory and a factory before becoming, after the war, a librarian inBingley,a small town 5 miles (8 km) up the Aire Valley and atDartonin 1954 where locals put his inattention down to his spending his time writing his first novel.[2]

Works

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Although he wrote 12 works of fiction, Braine is chiefly remembered today for his first novel,Room at the Top(1957). The novel was conceived when he was being treated fortuberculosisin a hospital near theYorkshire Dalestown ofGrassington.He stated that his favourite author wasGuy de Maupassantand thatRoom at the Topwas based onBel Ami,but that "the critics didn't pick it up".Room at the Topwas turned into a successful1959 film,withLaurence Harveyas Joe Lampton and featuring anOscar–winningperformance bySimone Signoret.In September 2012, BBC television broadcast atwo-part dramatisationthat had been delayed because of a dispute over copyright.Matthew McNultywas in the lead role.

After achieving literary success, Braine moved to the south of England, living from 1966 until his death inWoking.[1]He wrote several more novels, includingLife at the Top,a sequel toRoom at the Top.His 1968 novelThe Crying Gameis set in London and captures some of the atmosphere of the 'Swinging Sixties' (it is not related tothe 1992 film of the same name). His 1974 book,Writing a Novel,was a guide for aspiring novelists.

Political views

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Braine was mildly left-wing in his youth, but, like his contemporaries (and fellow "angry young men" )Kingsley AmisandJohn Wain,he later moved to the political right and supported America's involvement in theVietnam War.In 1967, Braine,Robert Conquest,Amis and several others signed a controversial letter toThe Timestitled "Backing for U.S. Policies in Vietnam", supporting the US government in Vietnam.[3]

Personal life

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Braine was married to Helen Wood and had four children. They separated in the early 1980s, and Helen moved toShropshirewith the two youngest children.[4]He died from a gastric haemorrhage in 1986 at the age of 64.[1]

Select bibliography

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Fiction

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Non-fiction

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  • A Personal Record(Monday Club, 1968)
  • Writing a Novel(1974)
  • J.B. Priestley(1978)

References

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  1. ^abc"Braine, John Gerard (1922–1986), writer".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press. 23 September 2004.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/39825.ISBN978-0-19-861412-8.Retrieved26 March2018.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  2. ^Wilson, Charles, ed. (30 October 1986). "John Braine; only one room at the top".The Times.No. 62602. p. 20.ISSN0140-0460.
  3. ^John Wakeman, World Authors 1950–1970: a companion volume to Twentieth Century Authors.New York: H. W. Wilson Company, 1975;ISBN0824204190(pp. 444-48).
  4. ^"John Braine's fall from the top".The Yorkshire Post.27 October 2006.Retrieved26 March2018.
  5. ^See the review atDVDCompare,of the 2010 UK DVD release:DVDCompare review
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