John Boynton Priestley was a novelist and dramatist renowned for his masterful command of the English language. His works frequently delved into social issues and the lives of ordinary people, all rendered in his distinctive, blunt Yorkshire style. During World War II, he became a popular and influential radio broadcaster, shaping public discourse with his thoughtful commentaries. Priestley left behind a prolific and varied literary legacy, encompassing novels, essays, and plays, and remains an enduring inspiration to aspiring authors.
Set in a crumbling mansion during a storm, five travelers encounter unsettling residents who create a tense atmosphere. As they engage in conversational games, the characters reveal their innermost thoughts, offering deep psychological insights and fostering empathy. The blend of dark humor and menacing undertones crafts a compelling narrative that explores fear and human connection, leading the reader into a shadowy realm of suspense and emotional depth.
Disillusioned playwright Martin Cheveril, on the verge of a career change, is thrust into the past after discovering an old pamphlet about the tragic actress Jenny Villiers. As he falls asleep, he is transported to her era, becoming a witness to her life and the events leading to her untimely death. This journey reveals the lasting impact of her tragedy, intertwining the past with his present, and forcing him to confront his own disillusionment with the theatre.
Great Ghost Stories is a volume filled with strange sights, spirits, words and actions from beyond the grave.This rich and diverse collection brings together some of the best spooky writing of all time.
Probably the most popular of Priestley's novels, The Good Companions was an instant best-seller when it was first published in July 1929, and, while JBP came to feel its success subsequently overshadowed many more important works, the book has remained popular. It was his third novel and it is certainly well-written and very readable. It is, too, an enjoyable romp, all about a stranded theatrical group the Dinky Doos rescued by Miss Trant and coverted into the Good Companions, and involving their adventures with such characters as Jess Oakroyd, the middle-aged joiner from Bruddersford, who breaks free from his miserable domestic existence, Susie Dean and Inigo Jollifant. It is the sort of long, colourful novel which was one of Priestley's hallmarks, and it is clear that Priestley enjoyed himself writing it. He regarded the job as not so much a task, more a kind of holiday. One of the ironies of the success of The Good Companions is that when he discussed his idea for the book with his publishers they told him that such a book would not appeal to the current reading public. However, the germ of the story was embedded deep into his mind and heart, and writing the novel became something of an obsession. He had made up his mind to write a novel that he himself could enjoy even if nobody else did...and, in the event, a great many others also loved it! (The novel arrived at a time when the country was in depression, and someone commented that The Good Companions "soared out of the gloom like a fairy tale to lift thousands of minds into a world of literary enchantment." David Hughes in "J.B. Priestley:An Informal Study of His Work", wrote: "The Good Companions is a simple book, plainly constructed and straightforwardly told. Like so much of Priestley's work, its action begins on a note of rebellion, while its impulse is the search for romance without losing sight of reality; indeed, staring into the very heart of reality for the magic. Jess Oakroyd is pitched into loneliness by the drab quarrrelling of his family. Miss Trant, suddenly relieved in early middle age of a burden that might have lasted her lifetime, turns against the trivial monotony of her genteel days in a Cotswold village. Inigo Jollifant, surrounded in the prep school where he teaches by petty rulings, is refused permission to play the piano by the headmaster's wife, gets drunk and escapes into the night. Three separate rebellions against the frustrations of life put three characters on the road for what is probably the longest picaresque novel in English since Pickwick." Priestley started to write The Good Companions in January 1928, and he delivered the manuscript to Heinemann in March 1929. At least two films have been made of The Good Companions, and it has been turned into a play on several occasions.
Humphrey Neyland, a middle-aged Canadian engineer, is drawn into a dangerous undercover mission in the industrial city of Gretley, vital for wartime aircraft production. Tasked by British Intelligence, he quickly discovers that the town is rife with deception, as nearly everyone harbors secrets and ulterior motives. As Neyland navigates this treacherous landscape, he becomes ensnared in a complex web of murder and intrigue, where danger is ever-present and trust is a rare commodity.
In 1934, J.B Priestley described his journey through England from Southampton to the Black Country, to the North East and Newcastle, to Norwich and home. In capturing and describing an English landscape and people hitherto unseen in literature of its kind, he influenced the thinking and attitudes of an entire generation and helped formulate a public consensus for change that led to the formation of the welfare state. Insightful, profound, humorous and moving, English Journey captures Priestley's deep love of his native country and tells us so much about the human condition and the nature of Englishness.
Robert Caplan and his wife are entertaining her brother and sister-in-law. Because Robert insists on uncovering the truth about his brother Martin's 'suicide', many unpalatable revelations ensue which cause Robert to shoot himself. At this point, the opening scene is repeated, but this time they bypass the dangerous corner at which the truth is demanded, thus averting the disaster. Written in 1932 this forms one of the three 'time plays'.
An Inspector Calls, first produced in 1946 when society was undergoing sweeping transformations, has recently enjoyed an enormously successful revival. While holding its audience with the gripping tension of a detective thriller, it is also a philosophical play about social conscience and the crumbling of middle class values. Time and the Conways and I Have Been Here Before belong to Priestley's 'time'plays, in which he explores the idea of precognition and pits fate against free will. The Linden Tree also challenges preconceived ideas of history when Professor Linden comes into conflict with his family about how life should be lived after the war.
