David Hughes (27 July 1930 – 11 April 2005) was a British
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...
. His best known works included ''The Pork Butcher'' (Constable, 1984) for which he was awarded the
WH Smith Literary Award
The WH Smith Literary Award was an award founded in 1959 by British high street retailer W H Smith. Its founding aim was stated to be to "encourage and bring international esteem to authors of the British Commonwealth"; originally open to all res ...
in 1985 and ''But for Bunter'', published as ''The Joke of the Century'' in the United States.
Biography
He was born in
Alton, Hampshire
Alton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England, near the source of the River Wey. It had a population of 17,816 at the 2011 census.
Alton was recorded in the Domesday Survey of 1086 as ''Aoltone'' ...
King's College School, Wimbledon
King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a public school in Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The school was founded in 1829 by King George IV, as the junior department of King's College London a ...
and
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
, where he was editor of ''
Isis
Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...
''.
On leaving university he worked for a time as a reader for the publisher
Rupert Hart-Davis
Sir Rupert Charles Hart-Davis (28 August 1907 – 8 December 1999) was an English publisher and editor. He founded the publishing company Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd. As a biographer, he is remembered for his ''Hugh Walpole'' (1952), as an editor, f ...
, and then went on to work at the ''London Magazine'' with his great friend Alan Ross.
He married the Swedish actress
Mai Zetterling
Mai Elisabeth Zetterling (; 24 May 1925 – 17 March 1994) was a Swedish film director, novelist and actor.
Early life
Zetterling was born in Västerås, Sweden to a working class family. She started her career as an actor at the age of 17 at D ...
in 1958 and collaborated with her on a number of films and books. They divorced in 1976.
He remarried in 1980, and had two children.
His later books included a memoir of his friend
Gerald Durrell
Gerald Malcolm Durrell, (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper, conservationist, and television presenter. He founded the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo on the Channel Island ...
, called ''Himself and Other Animals'', published in 1997.
Works
Novels
* "A Feeling in the Air" / US "Man Off Beat" (1957)
* "Sealed With a Loving Kiss" (1959)
* "The Horsehair Sofa" (1961)
* "The Major" (1964)
* "The Man Who Invented Tomorrow" (1968), about
Souvenir
A souvenir (), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a m ...
Doctor Glas
''Doctor Glas'', an epistolary novel by Hjalmar Söderberg, tells the story of a physician in 19th-century Sweden who deals with moral and love issues.
Synopsis
The novel is about Dr. Tyko Gabriel Glas who is a respected physician in Stockhol ...
* "A Study of J.B. Priestley" (1958)
* "The Road to Stockholm" (1964) a travel book
* "The Seven Ages of England" (1967)
* "The Rosewater Revolution" (1971), a socio-cultural analysis
* "The Widow of Ephesus" (1971) libretto for the chamber opera by Michael Hurd
* "Himself and Other Animals" (1997), a memoir of his friend
Gerald Durrell
Gerald Malcolm Durrell, (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper, conservationist, and television presenter. He founded the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo on the Channel Island ...
* "The Lent Jewels" (2002), a biography of
Archibald Campbell Tait
Archibald Campbell Tait (21 December 18113 December 1882) was an Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England and theologian. He was the first Scottish Archbishop of Canterbury and thus, head of the Church of England.
Life
Tait was bor ...
, a 19th-century
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
* "The Hack's Tale" (2004), a search for the origins of journalism
Giles Gordon
Giles Alexander Esmé Gordon (23 May 1940 – 14 November 2003) was a Scottish literary agent and writer, based for most of his career in London.
Early life and education
The son of Esmé Gordon (1910–1993), an architect and Honorary Secre ...
Christopher Lehmann-Haupt
Christopher Lehmann-Haupt (June 14, 1934 – November 7, 2018) was an American journalist, editor of the ''New York Times Book Review'', critic, and novelist, based in New York City. He served as senior Daily Book Reviewer from 1969 to 1995.
Bi ...