Walter Ernest Allen (23 February 1911 – 28 February 1995) was an English literary critic and novelist and one of the Birmingham Group of authors. He is best known for his classic study ''The English Novel: a Short Critical History'' (1951).

Life and career

Allen was born in

Aston Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, England. Located immediately to the north-east of Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a ward within the metropolitan authority. It is approximately 1.5 miles from Birmingham City Centre. History Aston wa ...

, Birmingham; he drew on his working-class roots for ''All in a Lifetime'' (1959), generally considered his best novel. He was educated at King Edward's Grammar School and the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

, graduating in 1932—his friends at that period included Henry Reed and

Louis MacNeice Frederick Louis MacNeice (12 September 1907 – 3 September 1963) was an Irish poet and playwright, and a member of the Auden Group, which also included W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender and Cecil Day-Lewis. MacNeice's body of work was widely a ...

. He taught and took numerous temporary academic positions. In 1935, he was a Visiting Lecturer in English at the University of Iowa, Iowa City; from 1955-56 he was Visiting Professor of English at Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; from 1963-64 he was Visiting Professor of English, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, and in 1967 he was at University of Kansas, Lawrence, and University of Washington, Seattle. He also worked in journalism, being at one time literary editor of the ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

''; and was a broadcaster. In 1967 he took a position as Professor of English Studies at the

New University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

. Allen published many novels early in his career mostly dealing with the life of the working class in England. ''As I Walked Down New Grub Street'' which accounts his meetings with prominent literary figures was published in 1982. After a significant break from fiction-writing for 27 years he published ''Get Out Early'' in 1986. He was known as an editor of

George Gissing George Robert Gissing (; 22 November 1857 – 28 December 1903) was an English novelist, who published 23 novels between 1880 and 1903. His best-known works have reappeared in modern editions. They include ''The Nether World'' (1889), ''New Grub ...

. He wrote some poetry, which appeared in

John Lehmann Rudolf John Frederick Lehmann (2 June 1907 – 7 April 1987) was an English poet and man of letters. He founded the periodicals ''New Writing'' and ''The London Magazine'', and the publishing house of John Lehmann Limited. Biography Born in ...

's publications in the 1940s. He left much writing in manuscript. He died in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Works

Novels

*''Innocence is Drowned'' (1938) *''Blind Man's Ditch'' (1939) *''Living Space'' (1940) *''The Black Country'' (1946) *''Rogue Elephant'' (1946) *''Dead Man Over All'' (1950) *''All in a Lifetime'' (1959) .S. title: ''Three Score and Ten''*''Get Out Early'' (1986) *''Accosting Profiles'' (1989)

Short stories

*''The Festive Baked-Potato Cart'' (1948)

Criticism

*''Writers on Writing'' (1948), editor *''Reading a Novel'' (1949) *''Arnold Bennett'' (1948) *''Joyce Cary'' (1953) *''The English Novel; a Short Critical History'' (1954) *''The Novel Today'' (1955) *''Six Great Novelists'' (1955) *''George Eliot'' (1964) *''Tradition and Dream: The English and American Novel from the Twenties to Our Time'' (1964) *''The Urgent West'' (1969) *''The Short Story in English'' (1981)

Autobiography

*''As I Walked Down New Grub Street'' (1981)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Walter 1911 births 1995 deaths People educated at King Edward VI Aston School English literary critics Alumni of the University of Birmingham Academics of Ulster University People from Birmingham, West Midlands 20th-century English novelists