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John Rayner Heppenstall (27 July 1911 in

Lockwood, Huddersfield Lockwood is an area of Huddersfield, in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. It is to the southwest of Huddersfield Town Centre, to the west of the River Holme. History Lockwood was originally called ''North Crosla ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, England – 23 May 1981 in Deal, Kent, England) was a British novelist, poet, diarist, and a

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

radio producer.John Wakeman, ''World Authors 1950-1970 : a companion volume to Twentieth Century Authors''. New York : H.W. Wilson Company, 1975. . (pp. 632-34).

Early life

Heppenstall was a student at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, where he read English and Modern Languages, graduating in 1932. He had a brief teaching career, in Dagenham. Coming to London in 1934, he rapidly made initial contacts in the literary world. A short study ''Middleton Murry: A Study in Excellent Normality'' (1934) brought him for a time into

John Middleton Murry John Middleton Murry (6 August 1889 – 12 March 1957) was an English writer. He was a prolific author, producing more than 60 books and thousands of essays and reviews on literature, social issues, politics, and religion during his lifetime. ...

's ''Adelphi'' commune at "The Oaks", where in 1935 he worked as a cook. Also in 1935 he met Dylan Thomas, sent to meet him by Sir Richard Rees of the '' Adelphi'' magazine. In short order he became a Catholic convert, and married Margaret Edwards in 1937 (with whom he later had two children: Adam Heppenstall and Lindy Heppenstall, later Foord). In the mid-1930s he was influenced by

Eric Gill Arthur Eric Rowton Gill, (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as ″the greatest artist-cra ...

. He was a friend of George Orwell, whom he first encountered in 1935 through Thomas and Rees, and later wrote about him in his memoir ''Four Absentees''. Heppenstall, Orwell and the Irish poet Michael Sayers shared a flat in Lawford Road, Camden. Heppenstall once came home drunk and noisy, and when Orwell emerged from his bedroom and asked him to pipe down, Heppenstall took a swing at him. Orwell then beat him up with a shooting-stick, and the following morning told him to move out. Friendship was restored, but after Orwell's death, Heppenstall wrote an account of the incident called ''The Shooting-Stick''. During World War II he was in the British Army, but with a Pay Corps posting at

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

, close enough to remain in touch with literary

Fitzrovia Fitzrovia () is a district of central London, England, near the West End. The eastern part of area is in the London Borough of Camden, and the western in the City of Westminster. It has its roots in the Manor of Tottenham Court, and was urban ...

. He was also posted to Northern Ireland. In an interview for the book ''World Authors'', Heppenstall stated he had once been a left-winger, but since the 1960s had become politically more conservative. Heppenstall also said he was especially opposed to "

Progressivism Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, tec ...

" and

World Government World government is the concept of a single political authority with jurisdiction over all humanity. It is conceived in a variety of forms, from tyrannical to democratic, which reflects its wide array of proponents and detractors. A world gove ...

. He listed

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known b ...

, Samuel Beckett, and

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: link=no, Владимир Владимирович Набоков ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Bor ...

as the writers he most admired.

Novelist

Heppenstall's first novel, ''The Blaze of Noon'' (1939), was critically acclaimed. Francis King, "The loneliness of a long-distance hater" (Reviews of ''The Master Eccentric'' and ''The Pier'' by Rayner Heppenstall). ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'', 6 December 1986, (pp. 44–5). Much later, in 1967, it received an Arts Council award. He was Francophile in literary terms, and his non-fiction writing reflects his tastes. Critical attention has linked him to the French '' nouveau roman'', in fact as an anticipator, or as a writer of the "anti-novel". Several critics (including, according to his diaries,

Hélène Cixous Hélène Cixous (; ; born 5 June 1937) is a French writer, playwright and literary critic. She is known for her experimental writing style and great versatility as a writer and thinker, her work dealing with multiple genres: theater, literary a ...

) have named Heppenstall in this connection. He is sometimes therefore grouped with

Alain Robbe-Grillet Alain Robbe-Grillet (; 18 August 1922 – 18 February 2008) was a French writer and filmmaker. He was one of the figures most associated with the '' Nouveau Roman'' (new novel) trend of the 1960s, along with Nathalie Sarraute, Michel Butor and ...

, or associated with other British experimentalists:

Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993), who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his dystopian satire ''A Clockwork ...

, Alan Burns,

Angela Carter Angela Olive Pearce (formerly Carter, Stalker; 7 May 1940 – 16 February 1992), who published under the name Angela Carter, was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picar ...

, B. S. Johnson,

Ann Quin Ann Quin (17 March 1936 – 27 August 1973) was a British writer noted for her experimental style. The author of ''Berg'' (1964), ''Three'' (1966), ''Passages'' (1969) and ''Tripticks'' (1972), she died by drowning in 1973 at the age of 37. Life ...

, Stefan Themerson and

Eva Figes Eva Figes (; 15 April 1932 – 28 August 2012) was an English author and feminist. Figes wrote novels, literary criticism, studies of feminism, and vivid memoirs relating to her Berlin childhood and later experiences as a Jewish refugee from H ...

. ''The Connecting Door'' (1962) is singled out as being influenced by the ''nouveau roman''. He was certainly influenced by

Raymond Roussel Raymond Roussel (; 20 January 1877 – 14 July 1933) was a French poet, novelist, playwright, musician, and chess enthusiast. Through his novels, poems, and plays he exerted a profound influence on certain groups within 20th century French litera ...

, whose ''Impressions of Africa'' he translated. Later novels include ''The Shearers'', ''Two Moons'' and ''The Pier''. He also wrote a short study of the French Catholic writer Léon Bloy (Cambridge: Bowes & Bowes, 1953). Heppenstall's book ''The Fourfold Tradition'' was praised by V. S. Pritchett, who expressed admiration for "its pleasure in literature".

Radio work

From 1945 to 1965, he worked for the

British Broadcasting Corporation #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

on radio as a feature writer and producer, and then for two further years as a drama producer. His contemporaries in the department included the fellow poets Louis MacNeice, W R Rodgers and

Terence Tiller Terence Rogers Tiller (19 September 1916 – 24 December 1987) was an English poet and radio producer. Early life, poet Tiller was born in Truro, Cornwall and educated at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith.Obituary, ''The Times'', 5 January 198 ...

. One of his early adaptations was of Orwell's ''

Animal Farm ''Animal Farm'' is a beast fable, in the form of satirical allegorical novella, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to c ...

'' in 1947. In his journals, Heppenstall mentions problems he had with

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires '' Decl ...

regarding a radio broadcast in the 1940s. Waugh apparently felt that Heppenstall purposely insulted him when he was sent to take him to the broadcast.

Later life

Later in life Heppenstall moved to the town of Deal. During this time he took a strong dislike to his working-class neighbours and began deliberately lighting bonfires in order to antagonise them."Having moved to Deal, Heppenstall was soon on equally dire terms with his neighbours there, deliberately lighting bonfires in order to annoy them." King 6 December 1986. John Carey, ''The intellectuals and the masses : pride and prejudice among the literary intelligentsia, 1880–1939''. London : Faber and Faber, 1992. (pp. 209–210) Heppenstall's final novel, ''The Pier'', depicts a writer resembling himself murdering a similar family living next door to him. After his death, Heppenstall's journals were published: they caused some controversy by revealing his hostility to fellow writers such as

Alan Sillitoe Alan Sillitoe FRSL (4 March 192825 April 2010) was an English writer and one of the so-called "angry young men" of the 1950s. He disliked the label, as did most of the other writers to whom it was applied. He is best known for his debut novel ...

, and also expressing prejudices against black people,

Irish people The Irish ( ga, Muintir na hÉireann or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common history and Culture of Ireland, culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years ...

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

and

lesbians A lesbian is a homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with femal ...

Works

*''Middleton Murry: A Study in Excellent Normality'' (1934) *''First Poems'' (1935) *''Apology for Dancing'' (1936) ballet *''Sebastian: New Poetry'' (1937) *''Poems'' (1938) with

Lawrence Durrell Lawrence George Durrell (; 27 February 1912 – 7 November 1990) was an expatriate British novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer. He was the eldest brother of naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell. Born in India to British colonial p ...

, Ruthven Todd, Patrick Evans, Edgar Foxall, and Oswell Blakeston *''The Blaze of Noon'' (1939) novel *''Blind Men's Flowers Are Green'' (1940) poetry *''Saturnine'' (1943) novel, reissued as ''The Greater Infortune'' (1960) *''Poems, 1933–1945'' (poems) (1946) *''The Double Image: Mutations of Christian Mythology in the Work of Four French Catholic Writers of To-Day and Yesterday'' (1947) *''Imaginary Conversations: Eight Radio Scripts'' (1948) *''Three Tales of Hamlet'' (1950) with Michael Innes *''The Lesser Infortune'' (1953) novel *''Léon Bloy'' (1953) *''My Bit of Dylan Thomas'' (1957) *''Architecture of Truth: The Cistercian Abbey of Le Thoronnet in Provence'' (1957) *''Four Absentees: Dylan Thomas, George Orwell, Eric Gill, J. Middleton Murry'' (1960) *''The Fourfold Tradition: Notes on the French and English Literatures, with Some Ethnological and Historical Asides'' (1961) *''The Woodshed'' (1962) *''The Connecting Door'' (1962) *''The Intellectual Part: An Autobiography'' (1963) *''Raymond Roussel: A Critical Study'' (1966) *''The Shearers'' (1969) *''A Little Pattern of French Crime'' (1969) *''Portrait of the Artist as a Professional Man'' (1969) *''French Crime in the Romantic Age'' (1970) *''Bluebeard and After: Three Decades of Murder in France'' (1972) *'' London Consequences'' (1972) with Margaret Drabble, B. S. Johnson,

Gillian Freeman Gillian Freeman (5 December 1929 – 23 February 2019) was an English writer. Her first book, ''The Liberty Man'', appeared while she was working as a secretary to the novelist Louis Golding. Her fictional diary, ''Nazi Lady: The Diaries of El ...

, Jane Gaskell,

Wilson Harris Sir Theodore Wilson Harris (24 March 1921 – 8 March 2018) was a Guyanese writer. He initially wrote poetry, but subsequently became a novelist and essayist. His writing style is often said to be abstract and densely metaphorical, and his sub ...

Olivia Manning Olivia Mary Manning (2 March 1908 – 23 July 1980) was a British novelist, poet, writer, and reviewer. Her fiction and non-fiction, frequently detailing journeys and personal odysseys, were principally set in the United Kingdom, Euro ...

Adrian Mitchell Adrian Mitchell FRSL (24 October 1932 – 20 December 2008) was an English poet, novelist and playwright. A former journalist, he became a noted figure on the British Left. For almost half a century he was the foremost poet of the country's C ...

Paul Ableman Paul Victor Ableman (13 June 1927 – 25 October 2006) was an English playwright and novelist. He was the writer of much erotic fiction and novelisations, and a freelance writer who turned his hand to non-fiction. Life and career Ableman was born ...

, John Bowen, Melvyn Bragg, Vincent Brome, Peter Buckman, Alan Burns, Barry Cole, Julian Mitchell, Andrea Newman,

Piers Paul Read Piers Paul Read FRSL (born 7 March 1941) is a British novelist, historian and biographer. He was first noted in 1974 for a book of reportage, '' Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors'', later adapted as a feature film and a documentary. Read ...

and Stefan Themerson. *''The Sex War and Others: Survey of Recent Murder, Principally in France'' (1973) *''Reflections on the "Newgate Calendar"'' (1975) *''Two Moons'' (1977) *''Tales from the "Newgate Calendar"'' (1981) *''The Master Eccentric: The Journals of Rayner Heppenstall, 1969–1981'', ed. Jonathan Goodman (London and New York, Allison & Busby, 1986), 278 pp. *''The Pier'' (1986)

Critical studies

*Buckell, G. J. (2007). ''Heppenstall – A Critical Study'' (DAP). :

References

External links

Dalkey Archive Press on Heppenstall's life and works''3:AM Magazine'' on Heppenstall
* *Archival Material at {{DEFAULTSORT:Heppenstall, Rayner British radio producers 1911 births 1981 deaths 20th-century British novelists 20th-century British poets British male poets British male novelists 20th-century British male writers