Voting Station

J.B. Priestley

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Author

The Resume

    (September 13, 1894-August 14, 1984)
    Born in Bradford, England, United Kingdom
    Birth name was John Boynton Priestley
    Wrote the novels 'The Good Companions' (1929), 'Angel Pavement' (1930), 'Let the People Sing' (1939), 'Bright Day' (1946), 'Jenny Villiers' (1947), 'The Magicians' (1954) and 'Sir Michael and Sir George' (1964)
    Wrote the plays 'Dangerous Corner' (1932), 'Laburnum Grove' (1933), 'Eden End' (1934), 'Time and the Conways' (1937), 'I Have Been Here Before' (1937), 'When We Are Married' (1938), 'Johnson Over Jordan' (1939), 'An Inspector Calls' (1946) and 'The 31st of June' (1957)
    Wrote the non-fiction works 'English Journey' (1934), 'Out of the People' (1941), 'The Arts Under Socialism' (1947), 'Journey Down A Rainbow' (1955), 'Literature and Western Man' (1960) and 'Margin Released' (1962)
    Wrote the children's book 'Snoggle: A Story for Anyone Between 9 and 90' (1971)
    Wrote the libretto for the opera 'The Olympians' (1949)
    British delegate to UNESCO (1946-47)
    Founding member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (1958)

Why he might be annoying:

    He threatened to sue Graham Greene, claiming that a character in Greene's novel 'Stamboul Train' (1932) -- Quin Savory, a popular writer undone by his own success -- was an unflattering caricature of him. (The suit was settled with Greene making changes demanded by Priestley.)
    He began an affair with his future second wife while his first wife was dying from cancer.
    He ran unsuccessfully for Parliament (1945).
    He criticized modern playwrights for creating 'difficult' works.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was wounded by shrapnel and gassed during World War I.
    His novel 'The Good Companions' was so popular that during Christmas, his publisher had to hire taxis to deliver books to stores to keep up with demand.
    During World War II, his morale-building radio broadcasts were second only to Winston Churchill's in popularity.
    He claimed that while he was no genius, 'I had a hell of a lot of talent.'
    Margaret Drabble wrote, 'Priestley is one of the finest and most popular storytellers of the last hundred years.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 16 Votes: 81.25% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 17 Votes: 17.65% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying