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John Wain

January 20, 2023

Not to be confused with John Waine or John Wayne.

John Barrington Wain CBE (14 March 1925 – 24 May 1994) was an English poet, novelist, and critic, associated with the literary group known as "The Movement". He worked for most of his life as a freelance journalist and author, writing and reviewing for newspapers and the radio.

Life and education

Wain was born and grew up in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, the son of a dentist, Arnold Wain, and his wife Annie, née Turner. He had an older sister and a younger brother, Noel. After attending Newcastle under Lyme High School, he entered St. John's College, Oxford, gaining a first in his BA in 1946 and an MA in 1950. He was a Fereday Fellow of St John's between 1946 and 1949.[1] On 4 July 1947, Wain married Marianne Uffenheimer (born 1923 or 1924), but they divorced in 1956. He then married Eirian Mary James (1920–1988), deputy director of the recorded sound department of the British Council, on 1 January 1960. They had three sons and lived mainly in Wolvercote, Oxford. Wain married his third wife, Patricia Adams (born 1942 or 1943), an art teacher, in 1989. He died in Oxford on 24 May 1994.[2]

Literary career

Wain wrote his first novel, Hurry on Down, in 1953: a comic picaresque story about an unsettled university graduate who rejects the standards of conventional society. Other notable novels include Strike the Father Dead (1962), a tale of a jazzman's rebellion against his conventional father, and Young Shoulders (1982), winner of the Whitbread Prize, in which a young boy deals with the death of loved ones.

Wain was also a prolific poet and critic, with critical works on fellow Midland writers Arnold Bennett, Samuel Johnson (winning him the 1974 James Tait Black Memorial Prize), and on Shakespeare. Others on whom he wrote included the Americans Theodore Roethke and Edmund Wilson. He himself was the subject of a bibliography by David Gerard.[3]

Academic career

Wain taught at the University of Reading during the late 1940s and early 1950s, and in 1963 spent a term as professor of rhetoric at Gresham College, London. He was the first fellow in creative arts at Brasenose College, Oxford (1971–1972), and was appointed a supernumerary fellow in 1973.[1] In the same year he was elected to the five-year post of Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford: some of his lectures appear in his book Professing Poetry. Wain was appointed a CBE in 1984. He was made an honorary fellow of his old college, St John's, Oxford, in 1985.[2]

Literary associations

Wain was often referred to as one of the "Angry Young Men", a term applied to 1950s writers such as John Braine, John Osborne, Alan Sillitoe and Keith Waterhouse, as radicals who opposed the British establishment and conservative elements of society at that time. Indeed, he contributed to Declaration, an anthology by writers associated with the philosophy, and a chapter of his novel Hurry on Down was excerpted in a popular paperback sampler, Protest: The Beat Generation and the Angry Young Men.[4][5]

Yet it may be more accurate to link Wain with The Movement, a group of post-war poets including Kingsley Amis, D. J. Enright, Thom Gunn, Elizabeth Jennings and Philip Larkin. Amis and Larkin, good friends of Wain's for a time, were also associated with the "Angries". But aside from their poetry, it may be more apposite to refer to them, as was sometimes done at the time, as "The New University Wits" – writers who wished to communicate rather than experiment and often did so in a comic manner. However, they all became more serious after their initial work. Wain is still known for his poetry (for example, his Apology for Understatement) and literary interests (contributions to The Observer), although his work is no longer as popular as it was. Critical remarks about him by Amis and Larkin in their posthumously published letters may have contributed to dimming his reputation.

Wain's tutor at Oxford had been C. S. Lewis. He encountered, but did not see himself as a part of, the group of Lewis's literary acquaintances, the Inklings.[6] Wain was as serious about literature as the Inklings, and believed, as they did, in the primacy of literature as communication, but as a modern realist writer he shared neither their conservative social beliefs nor their propensity for fantasy.

Works

Novels

  • Hurry on Down (1953), also Born in Captivity (US title)
  • Living in the Present (1955)
  • The Contenders (1958)
  • A Travelling Woman (1959)
  • Strike the Father Dead (1962)
  • The Young Visitors (1965)
  • The Smaller Sky (1967)
  • A Winter in the Hills (1970)
  • The Pardoner's Tale (1978)
  • Lizzie's Floating Shop (1981)
  • Young Shoulders (1982), also The Free Zone Starts Here (winner of the Whitbread Prize)
  • Where the Rivers Meet (1988)
  • Comedies (1990)
  • Hungry Generations (1994)

Poetry

  • A Word Carved on a Sill (1956)
  • Weep Before God (1961)
  • Wildtrack (1965)
  • Letters to Five Artists, poems (1969)
  • Feng, a poem (1975)
  • Poems 1949–79 (1980)
  • Poems for the Zodiac (1980)
  • The Twofold (1981)
  • Open Country (1987)

Short stories

  • Manhood (1980)
  • The Valentine Generation
  • Down our Way
  • A Message from the Pig-man

Plays

  • Johnson is Leaving (1973), monodrama
  • Harry in the Night (1975)
  • Frank (1984), radio play

Short story collections

  • Nuncle and Other Stories (1960)
  • Death of the Hind Legs and Other Stories (1966)
  • The Life Guard (1971)

Literary criticism

  • Interpretations, essays on twelve English poems (1955 and 1972)
  • Preliminary Essays (1957)
  • American Allegory (1959)
  • Strength and Isolation in "The Living Milton", ed. Frank Kermode (1960)
  • Essays on Literature and Ideas (1963)
  • The Living World of Shakespeare, a playgoer's guide (1964)
  • Theodore Roethke (1964) (in Critical Quarterly)
  • Arnold Bennett (1967)
  • A House for the truth, critical essays (1972)
  • Johnson as critic (1973)
  • An Edmund Wilson celebration (1978)
  • Edmund Wilson, the man and his work (1978)
  • Professing poetry (1979)
  • Introduction to Milton's Paradise Lost (1991) published by The Folio Society (2003)

Biography

  • Sprightly Running: Part of an Autobiography (1962)
  • Samuel Johnson: A Biography (1975)
  • Dear Shadows. Portraits from Memory (1986)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Wain, John Barrington". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. December 2007. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
  2. ^ a b Richards, Bernard. "Wain, John Barrington (1925–1994)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/55823. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ British Library Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  4. ^ Maschler, Tom, ed. (1957). Declaration. London: MacGibbon and Kee.
  5. ^ Feldman, Gene and Gartneberg, Max (editors) (1958). Protest: The Beat Generation and the Angry Young Men. New York: Citadel Press. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ As an undergraduate, Wain would not have been considered for what passed for "membership" anyway.

Literature

  • Elizabeth Hatziolou, 1997. John Wain, A Man of Letters
  • Diana Glyer, 2007. The Company They Keep: C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien as Writers in Community ISBN 978-0-87338-890-0
  • Edward Black, 1965. "L'Art de John Wain, poète": PhD thesis, Université de Caen, 1965
  • Dr. K. Kumar, 1999. "The Novels of John Wain": , PhD Thesis, Ranchi University
 
Wikiquote has quotations related to John Wain.

January 20, 2023
john, wain, confused, with, john, wayne, john, barrington, wain, march, 1925, 1994, english, poet, novelist, critic, associated, with, literary, group, known, movement, worked, most, life, freelance, journalist, author, writing, reviewing, newspapers, radio, c. Not to be confused with John Waine or John Wayne John Barrington Wain CBE 14 March 1925 24 May 1994 was an English poet novelist and critic associated with the literary group known as The Movement He worked for most of his life as a freelance journalist and author writing and reviewing for newspapers and the radio Contents 1 Life and education 2 Literary career 3 Academic career 4 Literary associations 5 Works 5 1 Novels 5 2 Poetry 5 3 Short stories 5 4 Plays 5 5 Short story collections 5 6 Literary criticism 5 7 Biography 6 See also 7 References 8 LiteratureLife and education EditWain was born and grew up in Stoke on Trent Staffordshire the son of a dentist Arnold Wain and his wife Annie nee Turner He had an older sister and a younger brother Noel After attending Newcastle under Lyme High School he entered St John s College Oxford gaining a first in his BA in 1946 and an MA in 1950 He was a Fereday Fellow of St John s between 1946 and 1949 1 On 4 July 1947 Wain married Marianne Uffenheimer born 1923 or 1924 but they divorced in 1956 He then married Eirian Mary James 1920 1988 deputy director of the recorded sound department of the British Council on 1 January 1960 They had three sons and lived mainly in Wolvercote Oxford Wain married his third wife Patricia Adams born 1942 or 1943 an art teacher in 1989 He died in Oxford on 24 May 1994 2 Literary career EditWain wrote his first novel Hurry on Down in 1953 a comic picaresque story about an unsettled university graduate who rejects the standards of conventional society Other notable novels include Strike the Father Dead 1962 a tale of a jazzman s rebellion against his conventional father and Young Shoulders 1982 winner of the Whitbread Prize in which a young boy deals with the death of loved ones Wain was also a prolific poet and critic with critical works on fellow Midland writers Arnold Bennett Samuel Johnson winning him the 1974 James Tait Black Memorial Prize and on Shakespeare Others on whom he wrote included the Americans Theodore Roethke and Edmund Wilson He himself was the subject of a bibliography by David Gerard 3 Academic career EditWain taught at the University of Reading during the late 1940s and early 1950s and in 1963 spent a term as professor of rhetoric at Gresham College London He was the first fellow in creative arts at Brasenose College Oxford 1971 1972 and was appointed a supernumerary fellow in 1973 1 In the same year he was elected to the five year post of Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford some of his lectures appear in his book Professing Poetry Wain was appointed a CBE in 1984 He was made an honorary fellow of his old college St John s Oxford in 1985 2 Literary associations EditWain was often referred to as one of the Angry Young Men a term applied to 1950s writers such as John Braine John Osborne Alan Sillitoe and Keith Waterhouse as radicals who opposed the British establishment and conservative elements of society at that time Indeed he contributed to Declaration an anthology by writers associated with the philosophy and a chapter of his novel Hurry on Down was excerpted in a popular paperback sampler Protest The Beat Generation and the Angry Young Men 4 5 Yet it may be more accurate to link Wain with The Movement a group of post war poets including Kingsley Amis D J Enright Thom Gunn Elizabeth Jennings and Philip Larkin Amis and Larkin good friends of Wain s for a time were also associated with the Angries But aside from their poetry it may be more apposite to refer to them as was sometimes done at the time as The New University Wits writers who wished to communicate rather than experiment and often did so in a comic manner However they all became more serious after their initial work Wain is still known for his poetry for example his Apology for Understatement and literary interests contributions to The Observer although his work is no longer as popular as it was Critical remarks about him by Amis and Larkin in their posthumously published letters may have contributed to dimming his reputation Wain s tutor at Oxford had been C S Lewis He encountered but did not see himself as a part of the group of Lewis s literary acquaintances the Inklings 6 Wain was as serious about literature as the Inklings and believed as they did in the primacy of literature as communication but as a modern realist writer he shared neither their conservative social beliefs nor their propensity for fantasy Works EditNovels Edit Hurry on Down 1953 also Born in Captivity US title Living in the Present 1955 The Contenders 1958 A Travelling Woman 1959 Strike the Father Dead 1962 The Young Visitors 1965 The Smaller Sky 1967 A Winter in the Hills 1970 The Pardoner s Tale 1978 Lizzie s Floating Shop 1981 Young Shoulders 1982 also The Free Zone Starts Here winner of the Whitbread Prize Where the Rivers Meet 1988 Comedies 1990 Hungry Generations 1994 Poetry A Word Carved on a Sill 1956 Weep Before God 1961 Wildtrack 1965 Letters to Five Artists poems 1969 Feng a poem 1975 Poems 1949 79 1980 Poems for the Zodiac 1980 The Twofold 1981 Open Country 1987 Short stories Manhood 1980 The Valentine Generation Down our Way A Message from the Pig manPlays Johnson is Leaving 1973 monodrama Harry in the Night 1975 Frank 1984 radio playShort story collections Nuncle and Other Stories 1960 Death of the Hind Legs and Other Stories 1966 The Life Guard 1971 Literary criticism Interpretations essays on twelve English poems 1955 and 1972 Preliminary Essays 1957 American Allegory 1959 Strength and Isolation in The Living Milton ed Frank Kermode 1960 Essays on Literature and Ideas 1963 The Living World of Shakespeare a playgoer s guide 1964 Theodore Roethke 1964 in Critical Quarterly Arnold Bennett 1967 A House for the truth critical essays 1972 Johnson as critic 1973 An Edmund Wilson celebration 1978 Edmund Wilson the man and his work 1978 Professing poetry 1979 Introduction to Milton s Paradise Lost 1991 published by The Folio Society 2003 Biography Sprightly Running Part of an Autobiography 1962 Samuel Johnson A Biography 1975 Dear Shadows Portraits from Memory 1986 See also Edit Poetry portalList of Gresham Professors of Rhetoric John Wain Collection at the Harry Ransom CenterReferences Edit a b Wain John Barrington Who Was Who Oxford University Press December 2007 Retrieved 5 February 2009 a b Richards Bernard Wain John Barrington 1925 1994 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 55823 Subscription or UK public library membership required British Library Retrieved 19 April 2018 Maschler Tom ed 1957 Declaration London MacGibbon and Kee Feldman Gene and Gartneberg Max editors 1958 Protest The Beat Generation and the Angry Young Men New York Citadel Press a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a author has generic name help CS1 maint multiple names authors list link As an undergraduate Wain would not have been considered for what passed for membership anyway Literature EditElizabeth Hatziolou 1997 John Wain A Man of Letters Diana Glyer 2007 The Company They Keep C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien as Writers in Community ISBN 978 0 87338 890 0 Edward Black 1965 L Art de John Wain poete PhD thesis Universite de Caen 1965 Dr K Kumar 1999 The Novels of John Wain PhD Thesis Ranchi University Wikiquote has quotations related to John Wain Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Wain amp oldid 1131439468, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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