约翰·博因顿·普里斯特利

约翰·博因顿·普里斯特利英国小说家、批评家、戏剧家。1894年9月13日生于约克郡布雷德福德的教师家庭。1914至1919年间在陆军中服役。后就学于剑桥，在英国文学、现代史及政治学方面成绩优异。

1922年定居伦敦，为《星期六评论》等杂志写评论。早期著作主要是文学传记和评论集。代表作有《乔治·梅瑞狄斯》（1926）、《托马斯·皮科克》（1927）、《英国喜剧角色》（1925）、《英国小说》（1927）等。

1929年出版代表作流浪汉小说《好伙伴》，1930年出版现实主义小说《天使人行道》。其后又出版《英国旅行记》（1934）、《沙漠午夜》（1937）及续集《雨落神山》（1939）等书，描述个人经历，对社会进行批评，深切同情失业群众悲惨的境遇。

1932年开始写作剧本,批评英国中产阶级，主要剧本有《危险的角落》（1932）、《我曾来过这里》（1937）、《巡官登门》（1946）、《明天到家》（1949）、《玻璃笼子》（1957）等。他还自己经营剧团，曾在伦敦两个剧院任导演。普里斯特利后期的文学批评和文学史著作以《文学和西方人》（1960）为代表。晚年研究英国社会史，代表作有《维多利亚的全盛期》（1972）、《英国人》（1973）等。卒于1984年8月14日。

普里斯特利

Priestleywasbornat34ManninghamRoad,Heaton,whichhedescribedasan"ultra-respectable"suburbofBradford.Hisfatherwasaheadteacher.Hismotherdiedwhenhewasstillaninfantandhisfatherremarriedfouryearslater.PriestleywaseducatedatBelleVueGrammarSchool,whichheleftatsixteentoworkasajuniorclerkatHelm&Co.,awoolfirmintheSwanArcade.DuringhisyearsatHelm&Co.（1910–1914），hestartedwritingatnightandhadarticlespublishedinlocalandLondonnewspapers.HewastodrawonmemoriesofBradfordinmanyoftheworkshewroteafterhehadmovedsouth,includingBrightDayandWhenWeAreMarried.AsanoldmanhedeploredthedestructionbydevelopersofVictorianbuildingsinBradfordsuchastheSwanArcade,wherehehadhisfirstjob.

PriestleyservedduringtheFirstWorldWarinthe10thBattalion,theDukeofWellington'sRegiment.Hewaswoundedin1916bymortarfire.Inhisautobiography,MarginReleasedheisfiercelycriticaloftheBritishArmyandinparticularoftheofficerclass.

AfterhismilitaryservicePriestleyreceivedauniversityeducationatTrinityHall,Cambridge.Bytheageof30hehadestablishedareputationasahumorouswriterandcritic.HisnovelBenighted（1927）wasadaptedintotheJamesWhalefilmTheOldDarkHouse（1932）；thenovelhasbeenpublishedunderthefilm'snameintheUnitedStates.

Priestley'sfirstmajorsuccesscamewithanovel,TheGoodCompanions（1929），whichearnedhimtheJamesTaitBlackMemorialPrizeforfictionandmadehimanationalfigure.Hisnextnovel,AngelPavement（1930）furtherestablishedhimasasuccessfulnovelist.However,somecriticswerelessthancomplimentaryabouthiswork,andPriestleybeganlegalactionagainstGrahamGreeneforwhathetooktobeadefamatoryportraitofhiminthenovelStamboulTrain（1932）.

In1934hepublishedthetravelogueEnglishJourney,whichisanaccountofwhathesawandheardwhiletravellingthroughthecountryintheautumnofthepreviousyear.

Hemovedintoanewgenreandbecameequallywellknownasadramatist.DangerousCornerwasthefirstofaseriesofplaysthatenthralledWestEndtheatreaudiences.Hisbest-knownplayisAnInspectorCalls（1945），latermadeintoafilmstarringAlastairSimreleasedin1954.Hisplaysaremorevariedintonethanthenovels,severalbeinginfluencedbyJ.W.Dunne'stheoryoftime,whichplaysapartintheplotsofDangerousCorner（1932）andTimeandtheConways（1937）.

Manyofhisworkshaveasocialistaspect.Forexample,AnInspectorCalls,aswellasbeinga"TimePlay",containsmanyreferencestosocialism—theinspectorwasarguablyanalteregothroughwhichPriestleycouldexpresshisviews.

DuringWorldWarⅡ,hewasaregularbroadcasterontheBBC.ThePostscript,broadcastonSundaynightthrough1940andagainin1941,drewpeakaudiencesof16million;onlyChurchillwasmorepopularwithlisteners.Buthistalkswerecancelled.ItwasthoughtthatthiswastheeffectofcomplaintsfromChurchillthattheyweretooleft-wing;however,Priestley'ssonhasrecentlyrevealedinatalkonthelatestbookbeingpublishedabouthisfather'slifethatitwasinfactChurchill'sCabinetthatbroughtaboutthecancellationbysupplyingnegativereportsonthebroadcaststoChurchill.

Priestleychairedthe1941Committee,andin1942hewasaco-founderofthesocialistCommonWealthParty.ThepoliticalcontentofhisbroadcastsandhishopesofanewanddifferentEnglandafterthewarinfluencedthepoliticsoftheperiodandhelpedtheLabourPartygainitslandslidevictoryinthe1945generalelection.Priestleyhimself,however,wasdistrustfulofthestateanddogma.

Priestley'snamewasonOrwell'slist,alistofpeoplewhichGeorgeOrwellpreparedinMarch1949fortheInformationResearchDepartment,apropagandaunitsetupattheForeignOfficebytheLabourgovernment.Orwellconsideredthesepeopletohavepro-communistleaningsandthereforetobeinappropriatetowritefortheIRD.

HewasafoundingmemberoftheCampaignforNuclearDisarmamentin1958.

AlthoughPriestleyneverwroteaformalbookofmemoirs,hisliteraryreminiscences,MarginReleased（1962），providevaluableinsightsintohiswork.ThesectiondealingwithhisjobasateenageclerkinaBradfordwool-sorter'sofficemanagestoweavefineliteraturefromanoutwardlyunpromisingsubject–acharacteristicofmanyofhisnovels.

Hisinterestintheproblemoftimeledhimtopublishanextendedessayin1964underthetitleofManandTime(AlduspublishedthisasacompaniontoCarlJung'sManandHisSymbols).Inthisbookheexploredindepthvarioustheoriesandbeliefsabouttimeaswellashisownresearchanduniqueconclusions,includingananalysisofthephenomenonofprecognitivedreaming,basedinpartonabroadsamplingofexperiencesgatheredfromtheBritishpublic,whorespondedenthusiasticallytoatelevisedappealhemadewhilebeinginterviewedin1963ontheBBCprogramme,Monitor.Priestleymanagedthetreatmentofthispotentiallyesotericsubjectmatterwithwarmthandcompetence.

PriestleywasoneoftheintervieweesforthedocumentaryseriesTheWorldatWar（1973），intheepisode"Alone:May1940–May1941".HedeclinedlesserhonoursbeforeacceptingtheOrderofMeritin1977.

TheUniversityofBradfordawardedPriestleythetitleofhonoraryDoctorofLettersin1970,andhewasawardedtheFreedomoftheCityofBradfordin1973.HisconnectionswiththecitywerealsomarkedbythenamingoftheJ.B.PriestleyLibraryattheUniversityofBradford,whichheofficiallyopenedin1975,andbythelarger-than-lifestatueofhim,commissionedbytheBradfordCityCouncilafterhisdeath,whichnowstandsinfrontoftheNationalMediaMuseum.

Aspecialcollector'seditionofBrightDaywasre-issuedbyGreatNorthernBooksin2006,celebratingthe60thanniversaryofthepublicationofthisnovel.

Priestleyhadadeeploveofclassicalmusic,andin1941heplayedanimportantpartinorganisingandsupportingafund-raisingcampaignonbehalfoftheLondonPhilharmonicOrchestra,whichwasstrugglingtoestablishitselfasaself-governingbodyafterthewithdrawalofSirThomasBeecham.In1949theoperaTheOlympiansbyArthurBliss,toalibrettobyPriestley,waspremiered.

Hemarriedthreetimes.In1921hemarriedEmily"Pat"Tempest,amusic-lovingBradfordlibrarian.Twodaughterswerebornin1923and1924,butin1925hiswifediedofcancer.InSeptember1926,hemarriedJaneWyndham-Lewis(ex-wifeoftheoriginal'Beachcomber'D.B.Wyndham-Lewis,norelationtotheartistWyndhamLewis);theyhadtwodaughtersandoneson.In1953,hedivorcedhissecondwifeandmarriedthearchaeologistandwriterJacquettaHawkes,hiscollaboratorontheplayDragon'sMouth.