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J. B. Priestley | |
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![]() J. B. Priestley at work in the study at his home in Highgate, London | |
Born | Manningham, Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England | 13 September 1894
Died | 14 August 1984 Alveston, Warwickshire, England | (aged 89)
Occupation |
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Period | 20th century |
Spouse | Pat Tempest
(m. 1921; died 1925)Jane Wyndham-Lewis
(m. 1925; div. 1953) |
Children | 5, including Sylvia, Mary and Tom |
Website | |
jbpriestley |
John Boynton Priestley OM (/ˈpriːstli/; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator.[1]
His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in The Good Companions (1929), which first brought him to wide public notice. Many of his plays are structured around a time slip, and he went on to develop a new theory of time, with different dimensions that link past, present and future.
In 1940 he broadcast a series of short propaganda radio talks, which were credited with strengthening civilian morale during the Battle of Britain. In the following years his left-wing beliefs brought him into conflict with the government and influenced the development of the welfare state.