David Lodge (author) facts for kids

David John Lodge (born January 28, 1935 – died January 1, 2025) was a famous English writer and critic. He was a professor of literature at the University of Birmingham for many years. Some of his novels make fun of life at universities, especially his "Campus Trilogy." These books are Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses (1975), Small World: An Academic Romance (1984), and Nice Work (1988). Two of these books were even nominated for the important Booker Prize.

Another big topic in Lodge's books was Roman Catholicism, starting with his very first novel, The Picturegoers (1960). David Lodge also wrote scripts for TV shows and plays for the stage. After he stopped teaching, he kept writing about literature. His book The Art of Fiction (1992) teaches readers about different writing styles using examples from famous authors.

About David Lodge

David Lodge was born in Brockley, a part of south-east London. His father was a saxophonist who played in a dance band. Lodge's first novel, The Picturegoers, was inspired by his early life in Brockley. He also wrote about his childhood home in later books like Therapy (1995) and Deaf Sentence (2008).

During World War II, David and his mother had to move away from London for safety. They went to Surrey and Cornwall. He went to a Catholic school called St Joseph's Academy, Blackheath.

University Life

In 1952, Lodge started studying at University College London. He earned a top degree in 1955. There, he met his future wife, Mary Frances Jacob, when they were both 18. After university, Lodge spent two years in the army, which gave him ideas for his novel Ginger You're Barmy. He then went back to London University and earned a master's degree in 1959.

Starting His Career and Family

In 1959, David Lodge and Mary Jacob got married. They had a son in 1960 and a daughter in 1963. Their second son, Christopher, was born in 1966 with Down Syndrome.

From 1959 to 1960, Lodge taught English in London. In 1960, he became a lecturer at the University of Birmingham. There, he met another writer, Malcolm Bradbury, who became his close friend. Bradbury's funny writing style helped Lodge develop his own humorous writing.

In 1963, Lodge worked with Bradbury on a funny play called Between These Four Walls. During one performance, they heard the news that John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. The audience thought it was a joke at first, but then everyone realized it was true, and the show became very quiet.

In 1964, Lodge and his family moved to the United States for a scholarship. They lived in Providence, Rhode Island, and later in San Francisco. This time allowed Lodge to finish his third novel, The British Museum Is Falling Down.

In 1966, he published his first book of literary criticism, Language of Fiction. He earned his PhD in English from Birmingham University in 1967.

Later Years as a Writer

David Lodge continued teaching at the University of Birmingham until 1987, becoming a professor in 1976. During this time, he wrote many more novels and essays. In 1987, he decided to become a full-time writer. He said that university life had become less exciting. He kept the title of Honorary Professor and continued to live in Birmingham.

In 1997, France honored him with the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres award. In 1998, he was made a CBE for his contributions to literature.

David Lodge passed away in Birmingham on January 1, 2025, at the age of 89.

David Lodge's Books

Lodge's early novels, like The Picturegoers, describe England after World War II. He also wrote about his experiences in the military in Ginger You're Barmy (1962).

David Lodge grew up Catholic, and his faith often appeared in his books. Many of his characters are Catholic, and their beliefs, especially about relationships, are important themes. Books like The British Museum Is Falling Down (1965) and How Far Can You Go? (1980) explore the challenges faced by strict Catholics.

University Stories

Several of Lodge's novels make fun of university life. His "Campus Trilogy" – Changing Places, Small World, and Nice Work – are set at a made-up English university called "Rummidge." This name is based on "Brummagem," a local nickname for Birmingham. These novels share characters, like Philip Swallow, an English literature lecturer from Rummidge, and Morris Zapp, an American professor. Swallow and Zapp first meet in Changing Places when they swap jobs.

Other made-up universities appear in his books too. Small World features a fictional University College Limerick, and Thinks... is set at a fictional University of Gloucester.

Other Themes

Lodge's novels also explore other parts of life. Nice Work looks at the business world, and Therapy focuses on television. Deaf Sentence talks about deafness and Alzheimer's disease, inspired by Lodge's own hearing problems. He once said, "Each of my novels corresponds to a particular phase or aspect of my own life."

Two of his later novels tell the stories of other writers: Author, Author (2004) is about Henry James, and A Man of Parts (2011) is about H. G. Wells. In 2015, Lodge published his autobiography, Quite a Good Time to Be Born, covering his life up to 1975.

Writing Style and Influences

David Lodge was influenced by other Catholic writers like Graham Greene. He was often compared to his friend Malcolm Bradbury because they both wrote funny university novels. Lodge said that Bradbury's humor helped him develop his own writing style.

Lodge often used ideas from other books in his own work. For example, The British Museum Is Falling Down is inspired by Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and Ulysses by James Joyce. All the action in Lodge's novel happens in one day, just like in those famous books.

Small World often refers to Arthurian legend, with characters going on quests like knights. Lodge explained that he saw a connection between his story and the legend of the Holy Grail, where knights travel the world, having adventures and meeting by chance. He compared this to modern professors who travel to conferences around the world.

How His Books Were Received

David Lodge's books became more widely known in Britain in 1975 when he won the Hawthornden Prize for Changing Places. He also won the Whitbread Book of the Year award in 1980 for How Far Can You Go? and the Sunday Express Book of the Year in 1988 for Nice Work. His novels were published in paperback and were nominated for the Booker Prize twice. In 1989, Lodge was even the head judge for the Booker Prize.

The famous writer Anthony Burgess called Lodge "one of the best novelists of his generation."

Books Around the World

Lodge's work became popular in France in the early 1990s. Since then, almost all his novels have been translated into French. His books are also translated into many other languages, including Czech, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Spanish, and Turkish.

Writing Techniques

In his book The Art of Fiction (1992), Lodge looked at different writing techniques. He often used these techniques in his own novels. For example, in Paradise News (1991), the story is mostly told by a narrator, but it also includes diary entries, letters, and emails from characters. In Therapy (1995), most of the novel is the main character's diary, but it's later revealed that he wrote other parts of the book himself as part of his therapy.

TV Shows

Two of David Lodge's novels were made into TV series: Small World (1988) and Nice Work (1989). Lodge himself adapted Nice Work for television, and it was filmed at the University of Birmingham. He also adapted his play The Writing Game for TV in 1995. In 1994, Lodge adapted Charles Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit for a BBC series.

Plays

Lodge wrote three plays: The Writing Game, Home Truths, and Secret Thoughts.

He loved The Old Rep theatre in Birmingham, calling it "a gem." He felt it was the perfect place for his first professional play.

The Writing Game is about teachers and students at a writing course. The play includes characters reading their own stories. It opened in Birmingham in 1990 and was later adapted for television.

Home Truths was performed in Birmingham in 1998. It tells the story of a writer named Adrian Ludlow who is interviewed by a sarcastic journalist. Lodge later rewrote this play as a short novel.

Lodge adapted his novel Thinks ... into a two-character play called Secret Thoughts. It opened in 2011 and was praised as a "witty, brainy play." Secret Thoughts won the Best New Play award at the Manchester Theatre Awards.

Awards and Honors

David Lodge received many awards and honors for his writing:

• Winner of the Hawthornden Prize and the Yorkshire Post Fiction Prize for Changing Places.
• Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 1976.
• Whitbread Book of the Year (1980) for How Far Can You Go?.
• Nominated for the Booker Prize (1984) for Small World.
• Nominated for the Booker Prize (1988) for Nice Work.
• Winner of the Sunday Express Book of the Year award (1988) for Nice Work.
• Won a regional award and was a finalist for the Commonwealth Writers Prize (1996) for Therapy.
• Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1998 for his contributions to literature.
• The TV series of Nice Work, which he adapted, won the Royal Television Society's Award for best Drama serial in 1989.
• Secret Thoughts, his play based on his novel Thinks..., won the Best New Play award at the Manchester Theatre Awards.

See also

In Spanish: David Lodge para niños