Len Doherty (1930–1983) was a British

miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face; cutting, blasting, ...

, journalist and writer. He has been named as "among the most important practitioners of the socialist novel in Britain." Born in Maryhill, Glasgow in 1930,Rogers, Byron. ''Me: The Authorised Biography'', London: Aurum Press, 2009 Doherty moved with his family to Yorkshire, England in the 1940s and started work as a miner at the age of 17. In the mid 1950s while working at Thurcroft Colliery near Rotherham he became active in the local Communist Party and was one of a number of working class writers of the period sponsored by the Party and published by in-house company Lawrence and Wishart. His 1955 debut novel ''A Miner's Sons'' was the most successful of its type. Second novel ''The Man Beneath'' appeared in 1957; Doherty left the Party the same year and began work as a journalist for the '' Sheffield Star'', later becoming chief leader writer. Third and final completed novel ''The Good Lion'' was published in 1958 and praised in '' The Spectator''. Doherty was the model for the character of 'Davie' in

Clancy Sigal Clancy Sigal (September 6, 1926 – July 16, 2017) was an American writer, and the author of dozens of essays and seven books, the best-known of which is the autobiographical novel ''Going Away'' (1961). Early life and education Sigal was born ...

's semi-autobiographical 1960 novel ''Weekend in Dinlock'', the pair becoming friends after having been introduced by

Doris Lessing Doris May Lessing (; 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British-Zimbabwean novelist. She was born to British parents in Iran, where she lived until 1925. Her family then moved to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she remain ...

. His writing was also an influence on Stan Barstow. According to Sid Chaplin, Doherty was part of a "

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

writers' mafia" brought together by media coverage of

kitchen sink Kitchen sink may refer to: * ''Freaks of Nature'' (film), a 2015 comedy horror film, also known as ''Kitchen Sink'' * ''Kitchen Sink'', a 1989 horror short directed by Alison Maclean * ''Kitchen Sink'' (TV series), cookery series on Food Network ...

/ angry young men literature of the period, including Chaplin, Barstow, John Braine and Keith Waterhouse. Doherty was named Provincial Journalist of the Year in 1969, which led to foreign assignments. In February 1970, he was one of several passengers injured in a terrorist attack by the PDFLP at Munich airport while on a return El Al flight from a trip to Israel, which affected his career and health. Len Doherty committed suicide in 1983. ''The Good Lion'' was republished in 2023.https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-good-lion-len-doherty/1142983493

Novels

*''A Miner's Sons'' 1955 (Lawrence & Wishart) *''The Man Beneath'' 1957 (Lawrence & Wishart) *''The Good Lion'' 1958 (MacGibbon & Kee)

Novels

References

Further reading