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William Cooper (novelist)

January 01, 1970

Harry Summerfield Hoff FRSL (4 August 1910 – 5 September 2002) was an English novelist, writing under the name William Cooper.

Life edit

H. S. Hoff (William Cooper) was born in Crewe, the son of elementary school teachers,[1] and attended Crewe County Secondary School before reading natural sciences at Christ's College, Cambridge.[2] After graduating in 1933 he was a teacher in Leicester, an experience on which he seems to have drawn for his novel, Scenes from Provincial Life. Hoff served in the Signals Branch of the Royal Air Force in World War II, and later became a civil servant, associating closely with C. P. Snow, who appears in light disguise as Robert in Scenes from Provincial Life and its sequels. Amongst his appointments he worked for the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the Crown Agents. After retiring he held an academic position with Syracuse University, New York, lecturing on English literature to its students in London.[3]

Hoff wrote four novels between 1934 and 1946 under his own name but made his reputation with his first novel under the pen name William Cooper (used from then on), Scenes from Provincial Life (1950), the first of five more or less autobiographical novels published over the ensuing half century. It was hailed at once by writers such as Kingsley Amis, Anthony Burgess and John Braine[1] who wrote: "This book was for me – and I suspect many others –- a seminal influence"[4] Deceptively simple in style and both comic and lyrical in tone, the novel tells of events in the lives of its narrator, Joe Lunn, a grammar school physics teacher; his girlfriend Myrtle, who wants him to marry her; his friend Tom, with whom he plans to emigrate to the USA; and various other characters in an English provincial town in the spring and summer of 1939. The novel's naturalism was a conscious rejection of the earlier modernist tradition of the English novel, which Hoff called the "Art Novel". Malcolm Bradbury wrote of it that 'a good part of the literary styles and temper of the 1950s was set by this book.'[4]

There followed, in order of writing, Scenes from Metropolitan Life, Scenes from Married Life (1961), Scenes from Later Life (1983) and Scenes from Death and Life (1999). Scenes from Metropolitan Life, although written in the mid-50s, remained unpublished until 1982, for legal reasons: the real-life prototype for the character of Myrtle, central to the novel, had threatened to sue if it were published. Scenes from Death and Life, his last published work, was turned down by Hoff's publisher Macmillan and was issued by a small independent company.

Hoff wrote 17 novels in all as well as short stories, two plays and a biography of his friend C. P. Snow. In 1971 he published an account of the trial of the two Hosein brothers, found guilty in 1970 of the kidnapping and murder of Muriel McKay, whom they had abducted in the belief that she was the wife of Rupert Murdoch. His fictional works were invariably optimistic and often outright comic, but with an understated sympathy for those dealing with the problems of ordinary life. He had a straightforward and uncensorious attitude to the sex lives of his characters and a respect for the young, which gave even his later novels a freshness and a contemporary resonance.[3]

In 1951 Hoff married Joyce Harris, the model for the central character of Scenes from Married Life, who died in 1988. They had two daughters.[3]

Works edit

His Novels

  • Trina (as H. S. Hoff) London: Heinemann, 1934; as It Happened in PRK, New York, Coward McCann, 1934.
  • Rhéa (as H. S. Hoff). London: Heinemann, 1935.
  • Lisa (as H. S. Hoff). London: Heinemann, 1937.
  • Three Marriages (as H. S. Hoff). London, Heinemann, 1946.
  • Scenes from Provincial Life. London: Cape, 1950.
  • The Struggles of Albert Woods. London: Cape, 1952; New York, Doubleday, 1953.
  • The Ever-Interesting Topic. London: Cape, 1953.
  • Disquiet and Peace. London: Macmillan, 1956; Philadelphia, Lippincott, 1957.
  • Young People. London: Macmillan, 1958.
  • Scenes from Married Life. London: Macmillan, 1961.
  • Scenes from Life (includes Scenes from Provincial Life and Scenes from Married Life). New York: Scribner, 1961.
  • Memoirs of a New Man. London: Macmillan, 1966.
  • You Want the Right Frame of Reference. London, Macmillan, 1971.
  • Love on the Coast. London: Macmillan, 1973.
  • You're Not Alone: A Doctor's Diary. London: Macmillan, 1976.
  • Scenes from Metropolitan Life. London: Macmillan, 1982.
  • Scenes from Later Life. London: Macmillan, 1983.
  • Scenes from Provincial Life, and Scenes from Metropolitan Life. New York: Dutton, 1983.
  • Scenes from Married Life, and Scenes from Later Life. New York: Dutton, 1984.
  • Immortality at Any Price. London: Sinclair Stevenson, 1991.
  • Scenes from Death and Life (1999)

Uncollected Short Stories

  • Ball of Paper, in Winter's Tales 1. London: Macmillan, and New York: St. Martin's Press, 1955.
  • A Moral Choice, in Winter's Tales 4. London: Macmillan, and New York: St. Martin's Press, 1958.

Plays

  • High Life (produced London, 1951).
  • Prince Genji (1950; produced Oxford, 1968). London: Evans, 1959.

Non-fiction

  • C.P. Snow. London: Longman, 1959; revised edition, 1971.
  • Shall We Ever Know? The Trial of the Hosein Brothers for the Murder of Mrs. McKay. London: Hutchinson, 1971; as Brothers, New York: Harper, 1972.

Memoirs

  • From Early Life. London: Macmillan, 1990.

Adaptations edit

In 1966 Scenes from Provincial Life and Scenes from Married Life were adapted for a seven-part ITV series, You Can't Win, starring Ian McShane.[5] BBC Radio 4 broadcast a version of Scenes from Provincial Life in the 1970s, and in 2003 broadcast a four-part dramatisation by Eric Pringle, with David Thorpe as Joe and Alison Pettitt as Myrtle.[6] Malcolm Bradbury wrote a script for a TV dramatisation of Scenes from Provincial Life and Scenes from Metropolitan Life in six 55-minute episodes, which was never produced.[7]

Awards and honours edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Shrapnel, Norman, "Novelist who depicted the mysteriousness of ordinary people through a naturalistic eye", Obituary,The Guardian, London, 6 September 2002.
  2. ^ Taylor, D. J., "Hoff, Harry Summerfield [pseud. William Cooper] (1910–2002)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2009; online edition, May 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2024. (subscription required)
  3. ^ a b c "Obituary". The Independent. London.
  4. ^ a b Bradbury, Malcolm, Introduction to Scenes from Provincial Life, London: Macmillan, 1969.
  5. ^ "You Can't Win (1966)". TV.com. 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  6. ^ "Eric Pringle Radio Plays.
  7. ^ Malcolm Bradbury website.
  8. ^ . English PEN. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.

External links edit

January 01, 1970
william, cooper, novelist, harry, summerfield, hoff, frsl, august, 1910, september, 2002, english, novelist, writing, under, name, william, cooper, contents, life, works, adaptations, awards, honours, references, external, linkslife, edith, hoff, william, coop. Harry Summerfield Hoff FRSL 4 August 1910 5 September 2002 was an English novelist writing under the name William Cooper Contents 1 Life 2 Works 3 Adaptations 4 Awards and honours 5 References 6 External linksLife editH S Hoff William Cooper was born in Crewe the son of elementary school teachers 1 and attended Crewe County Secondary School before reading natural sciences at Christ s College Cambridge 2 After graduating in 1933 he was a teacher in Leicester an experience on which he seems to have drawn for his novel Scenes from Provincial Life Hoff served in the Signals Branch of the Royal Air Force in World War II and later became a civil servant associating closely with C P Snow who appears in light disguise as Robert in Scenes from Provincial Life and its sequels Amongst his appointments he worked for the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the Crown Agents After retiring he held an academic position with Syracuse University New York lecturing on English literature to its students in London 3 Hoff wrote four novels between 1934 and 1946 under his own name but made his reputation with his first novel under the pen name William Cooper used from then on Scenes from Provincial Life 1950 the first of five more or less autobiographical novels published over the ensuing half century It was hailed at once by writers such as Kingsley Amis Anthony Burgess and John Braine 1 who wrote This book was for me and I suspect many others a seminal influence 4 Deceptively simple in style and both comic and lyrical in tone the novel tells of events in the lives of its narrator Joe Lunn a grammar school physics teacher his girlfriend Myrtle who wants him to marry her his friend Tom with whom he plans to emigrate to the USA and various other characters in an English provincial town in the spring and summer of 1939 The novel s naturalism was a conscious rejection of the earlier modernist tradition of the English novel which Hoff called the Art Novel Malcolm Bradbury wrote of it that a good part of the literary styles and temper of the 1950s was set by this book 4 There followed in order of writing Scenes from Metropolitan Life Scenes from Married Life 1961 Scenes from Later Life 1983 and Scenes from Death and Life 1999 Scenes from Metropolitan Life although written in the mid 50s remained unpublished until 1982 for legal reasons the real life prototype for the character of Myrtle central to the novel had threatened to sue if it were published Scenes from Death and Life his last published work was turned down by Hoff s publisher Macmillan and was issued by a small independent company Hoff wrote 17 novels in all as well as short stories two plays and a biography of his friend C P Snow In 1971 he published an account of the trial of the two Hosein brothers found guilty in 1970 of the kidnapping and murder of Muriel McKay whom they had abducted in the belief that she was the wife of Rupert Murdoch His fictional works were invariably optimistic and often outright comic but with an understated sympathy for those dealing with the problems of ordinary life He had a straightforward and uncensorious attitude to the sex lives of his characters and a respect for the young which gave even his later novels a freshness and a contemporary resonance 3 In 1951 Hoff married Joyce Harris the model for the central character of Scenes from Married Life who died in 1988 They had two daughters 3 Works editHis Novels Trina as H S Hoff London Heinemann 1934 as It Happened in PRK New York Coward McCann 1934 Rhea as H S Hoff London Heinemann 1935 Lisa as H S Hoff London Heinemann 1937 Three Marriages as H S Hoff London Heinemann 1946 Scenes from Provincial Life London Cape 1950 The Struggles of Albert Woods London Cape 1952 New York Doubleday 1953 The Ever Interesting Topic London Cape 1953 Disquiet and Peace London Macmillan 1956 Philadelphia Lippincott 1957 Young People London Macmillan 1958 Scenes from Married Life London Macmillan 1961 Scenes from Life includes Scenes from Provincial Life and Scenes from Married Life New York Scribner 1961 Memoirs of a New Man London Macmillan 1966 You Want the Right Frame of Reference London Macmillan 1971 Love on the Coast London Macmillan 1973 You re Not Alone A Doctor s Diary London Macmillan 1976 Scenes from Metropolitan Life London Macmillan 1982 Scenes from Later Life London Macmillan 1983 Scenes from Provincial Life and Scenes from Metropolitan Life New York Dutton 1983 Scenes from Married Life and Scenes from Later Life New York Dutton 1984 Immortality at Any Price London Sinclair Stevenson 1991 Scenes from Death and Life 1999 Uncollected Short Stories Ball of Paper in Winter s Tales 1 London Macmillan and New York St Martin s Press 1955 A Moral Choice in Winter s Tales 4 London Macmillan and New York St Martin s Press 1958 Plays High Life produced London 1951 Prince Genji 1950 produced Oxford 1968 London Evans 1959 Non fiction C P Snow London Longman 1959 revised edition 1971 Shall We Ever Know The Trial of the Hosein Brothers for the Murder of Mrs McKay London Hutchinson 1971 as Brothers New York Harper 1972 Memoirs From Early Life London Macmillan 1990 Adaptations editIn 1966 Scenes from Provincial Life and Scenes from Married Life were adapted for a seven part ITV series You Can t Win starring Ian McShane 5 BBC Radio 4 broadcast a version of Scenes from Provincial Life in the 1970s and in 2003 broadcast a four part dramatisation by Eric Pringle with David Thorpe as Joe and Alison Pettitt as Myrtle 6 Malcolm Bradbury wrote a script for a TV dramatisation of Scenes from Provincial Life and Scenes from Metropolitan Life in six 55 minute episodes which was never produced 7 Awards and honours edit1996 Golden PEN Award 8 References edit a b Shrapnel Norman Novelist who depicted the mysteriousness of ordinary people through a naturalistic eye Obituary The Guardian London 6 September 2002 Taylor D J Hoff Harry Summerfield pseud William Cooper 1910 2002 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press 2009 online edition May 2010 Retrieved 31 March 2024 subscription required a b c Obituary The Independent London a b Bradbury Malcolm Introduction to Scenes from Provincial Life London Macmillan 1969 You Can t Win 1966 TV com 2008 Retrieved 19 May 2008 Eric Pringle Radio Plays Malcolm Bradbury website Golden Pen Award official website English PEN Archived from the original on 21 November 2012 Retrieved 3 December 2012 External links editWilliam Cooper Papers and William Cooper Collection at the Harry Ransom Center Obituary in The Telegraph Obituary in The Guardian Obituary in The Independent William Cooper Fellows Remembered The Royal Society of Literature Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William Cooper novelist amp oldid 1221005733, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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