John Wyndham | |
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File:John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris.jpg | |
Born | Knowle, Warwickshire, England |
10 July 1903
Died | 11 March 1969 | (aged 65)
Nationality | English |
Other names | John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris[1] |
Occupation | Science fiction writer |
John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (10 July 1903 – 11 March 1969) was an English science fiction writer who usually used the pen name John Wyndham, although he also used other combinations of his names, such as John Beynon and Lucas Parkes. Many of his works were set in post-apocalyptic landscapes.
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Wyndham was born in the village of Knowle in Warwickshire, England, the son of George Beynon Harris, a barrister, and Gertrude Parkes, the daughter of a Birmingham ironmaster.
His early childhood was spent in Edgbaston in Birmingham, but when he was eight years old his parents separated and he and his brother, the writer Vivian Beynon Harris, spent the rest of their childhood at a number of English preparatory and boarding schools, including Blundell's School in Devon during the First World War. His longest and final stay was at Bedales School in Hampshire (1918–1921), which he left at the age of 18, where he blossomed and was happy.
After leaving school, Wyndham tried several careers including farming, law, commercial art and advertising, but mostly relied on an allowance from his family. He eventually turned to writing for money in 1925, and by 1931 was selling short stories and serial fiction to American science fiction pulp magazines, most under the pen names of 'John Beynon' or 'John Beynon Harris', although he also wrote some detective stories.
During the Second World War Wyndham first served as a censor in the Ministry of Information, then joined the army, serving as a Corporal cipher operator in the Royal Corps of Signals. He participated in the Normandy landings, although was not involved in the first days of the landings. [1]
After the war Wyndham returned to writing, inspired by the success of his brother who had had four novels published. He altered his writing style and by 1951, using the John Wyndham pen name for the first time, wrote the novel The Day of the Triffids. His prewar writing career was not mentioned in the book's publicity, and people were allowed to assume that it was a first novel from a previously unknown writer.
The book proved to be an enormous success and established Wyndham as an important exponent of science fiction. He went on to write and publish six more novels under the name John Wyndham, all of which appeared in his lifetime. In 1963 he married Grace Wilson, whom he had known for more than 20 years; the couple remained married until he died. He moved out of the Penn Club in London, and lived near Petersfield, Hampshire, just outside the grounds of Bedales School.
He died aged 65 at his home in Petersfield, survived by his wife and brother.[2] Subsequently, some of his unsold work was published and his earlier work re-published.
His reputation rests mainly on the first four of the novels published in his lifetime as by John Wyndham.[3] The Day of the Triffids remains his best known, but some of his readers consider that The Chrysalids was really his best.[4][5]
He also penned several short stories, ranging from hard science fiction to whimsical fantasy. A few have been filmed (in some cases rather freely adapted): Consider Her Ways, Random Quest, Dumb Martian, Jizzle (filmed as Maria) and Time to Rest (filmed as No Place Like Earth).[6] There was also a radio version of Survival.
Most of Wyndham's novels have a contemporary 1950s English setting. Brian Aldiss, another British science fiction writer, has disparagingly labelled some of them as "cosy catastrophes", especially his novel The Day of the Triffids.[7] The critic L. J. Hurst dismissed Aldiss's accusations, pointing out that in Triffids the main character witnesses several murders, suicides, and misadventures, and is frequently in mortal danger himself.[8]
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Sir John Wyndham (died 1573) of Orchard Wyndham in the parish of Watchet, Somerset, was born a member of a prominent gentry family in Norfolk and founded his own prominent gentry family in Somerset, which survives today at Orchard Wyndham.
John Wyndham was the second son of Sir Thomas Wyndham (d.1521) of Felbrigg Hall, Norfolk, by his first wife Alianore Scrope (c.1470-1505), daughter and heiress of Richard Scrope of Upsall, Yorkshire. Sir Thomas was knighted in 1512 by Sir Edward Howard, Admiral of the Fleet. His will was dated at Felbrigg 22 October 1521 and he was buried in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Norwich Cathedral, from which his body was later moved to the Jesus Chapel. He was the son and heir of Sir John Wyndham (d.1503) by his first wife Lady Margaret Howard, 4th daughter of Sir John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk. Sir John the father was knighted by King Henry VII in 1489 at the Battle of Stoke, but after having turned against that king was beheaded in 1503 as a traitor, together with James Tyrrell. He was buried at Austin Friars, London.
John Wyndham (1903–1969) was a British science fiction writer.
John Wyndham may also refer to:
Sir John Wyndham (1558–1645), JP, of Orchard Wyndham in the parish of Watchet in Somerset, was an English landowner who played an important role in the establishment of defence organisation in the West Country against the threat of Spanish invasion.
He was born at Orchard Wyndham, the only child and heir of Sir John Wyndham (d.1572) of Orchard Wyndham, by his wife Florence Wadham (1538–1597), a co-heiress of her brother Nicholas Wadham (1531/2-1609), of Merryfield, Ilton, in Somerset and of Edge, Branscombe, in Devon, who with his wife Dorothy Petre (1534/5-1618), eldest daughter of Sir William Petre, principal secretary to King Henry VIII, founded Wadham College, Oxford. In memory of his parents Sir John erected a pair of almost life-size monumental brasses in St Decuman's Church, Watchet, and also erected an almost identical pair (considered the finest of their style in England), also set into Purbeck marble, in memory of his uncle Nicholas Wadham and his wife on their chest tomb in the Wadham Chapel in St Mary's Church, Ilminster. Sir John Wyndham was one of the heirs to the large fortune of his uncle Nicholas Wadham and helped to put into effect his plans for the founding of Wadham College. Sir John Wyndham also erected similar brasses, but much smaller, in St Margaret's Church, Felbrigg, Norfolk, to his cousin Thomas Windham (d.1599) (in the nave), from whom he inherited Felbrigg Hall, and to Thomas's sister Jane Coningsby (d.1608) (in the chancel). The inscriptions in accomplished verse on all these monuments are believed to have been written by Wyndham himself.