John Braine facts for kids
John Gerard Braine (born April 13, 1922 – died October 28, 1986) was an English writer. He is often grouped with the "angry young men." This was a name given to a group of British writers in the 1950s. They often wrote about social issues and young people feeling frustrated with society.
Life Story
John Braine was born in Bradford, England. His family later moved to a part of the city called Thackley. John left school at 16. He worked in different jobs, like in a shop, a lab, and a factory. After World War II, he became a librarian. He worked in Bingley and later in Darton. People in Darton noticed he spent a lot of time writing. This was when he was working on his first novel.
John Braine wrote 12 books, but he is best known for his first novel, Room at the Top (published in 1957). He got the idea for this book while he was in the hospital for tuberculosis. The hospital was near Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales. Braine said that his favorite author was Guy de Maupassant. He also mentioned that Room at the Top was inspired by Maupassant's book Bel Ami.
Room at the Top became a very successful movie in 1959. Laurence Harvey played the main character, Joe Lampton. Simone Signoret won an Oscar for her role in the film. In 2012, BBC television also made a two-part TV show based on the book. Matthew McNulty played the lead role in this version.
After becoming a successful writer, John Braine moved to the south of England. He lived in Woking for a while. He wrote more novels, including Life at the Top, which was a follow-up to Room at the Top. His 1968 novel The Crying Game takes place in London. It shows some of the exciting mood of the 1960s, a time known as the 'Swinging Sixties'. (This book is not connected to the 1992 movie with the same name). In 1974, he wrote a book called Writing a Novel. It was a guide for people who wanted to become writers.
When he was younger, Braine had more liberal views. However, like some of his writer friends, he later changed his mind. He began to support more conservative ideas. For example, he supported the United States' actions during the Vietnam War. In 1967, Braine and other writers signed a letter to The Times newspaper. The letter supported the US government's policies in Vietnam.
John Braine was married to Helen Wood. They had four children together. They separated in the early 1980s. Helen moved to Shropshire with their two youngest children. John Braine passed away in 1986 at the age of 64.
