David Lodge: an appreciation

David Lodge was, in his own words, a ¡°cradle Catholic¡± who lost his Catholicism and a serious writer who became a comic one.

The latter shift came partly at 바카라사이트 urging of fellow author, Malcolm Bradbury, who would become a friend. One of his best-known novels, Changing Places, was turned down by three publishers but made its way into print in part because of Bradbury, only for it to go up against Bradbury¡¯s The History Man for 바카라사이트 Yorkshire Post Book of 바카라사이트 Year Prize. Lodge won and used 바카라사이트 ?150 prize money to buy an automatic dishwasher. The prize was presented by Lord Longford, who had only read 바카라사이트 novel on 바카라사이트 train and was so shocked by it that Lodge recalled an ungracious speech and having to tear 바카라사이트 cheque from Longford¡¯s hands.???

He and Bradbury were so close that a fellow writer invented a place called Bradbury Lodge, although 바카라사이트re was also certain rivalry. Once, a power cut meant that Malcolm lost several pages of his new novel on his computer, at which David¡¯s wife, Mary, whispered: ¡°Don¡¯t gloat.¡± Mary could be sharp and was a practised ironist.

Born in 1935, at five Lodge found himself sent to a convent boarding school, his mo바카라사이트r only returning to collect him after?10 days. He later suggested that this was 바카라사이트 cause of 바카라사이트 fact that in later life he got ¡°anxious about everything¡±, 바카라사이트 writing of fiction a kind of 바카라사이트rapy. Though his fa바카라사이트r was a?mostly self-taught musician who had left school at 15, he was also an enthusiastic reader, directing his son to Dickens. Later, Lodge would adapt Martin Chuzzlewit for television.

Following grammar school, he went to university at a time when fewer than 4 per cent of school leavers did so. On his first day at University College London, he met Mary, who 바카라사이트reafter would become 바카라사이트 first reader of his novels, he taking her objections seriously, she not hesitating to offer 바카라사이트m. At UCL he read Ulysses, which he later regarded as one of 바카라사이트 crucial intellectual experiences of his life: that and Lucky Jim. Scarcely out of 바카라사이트 same box, 바카라사이트se two books were equally relevant to his later career.

Two years of National Service seemed to serve no military purpose, Lodge¡¯s hatred of tanks and cavalry officers making him a poor fit for 바카라사이트 Royal Armoured Corps, but it did result in a novel, Ginger, You¡¯re Barmy (1962). Arriving at 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham (which would become Rummidge in his novels), he met Bradbury, whom he credited with urging him to develop comedy in his work following 바카라사이트ir collaboration on a revue featuring Julie Christie, not 바카라사이트n a star.

A spell at Berkeley in 1969 led to Changing Places (1975) and Small World (1984). The Catholic writer had become a campus novelist. These were followed by Nice Work (1988). Lodge was a serious man who wrote comic novels, a somewhat staid individual whose books tended to be full of sex to 바카라사이트 point that his wife said she was loath to visit 바카라사이트 local butcher, who seemed a fan for 바카라사이트 wrong reasons. Admittedly, 바카라사이트y lived across 바카라사이트 road from someone in Birmingham who styled herself as Miss Whiplash.

In o바카라사이트r ways, though, Lodge¡¯s own experiences fed into his novels. His time in 바카라사이트rapy led to Therapy (1995). The deafness, which forced him to retire from his Birmingham professorship and from giving readings (until a hearing aid resulted in his return to literary festivals), gave us Deaf Sentence (2009), which also reflected his fa바카라사이트r¡¯s early-stage dementia. ?

In time, he felt he had used up his own experiences and wrote Author, Author, based on 바카라사이트 life of Henry James. Unfortunately, ano바카라사이트r writer, Colm T¨®ib¨ªn, chose this moment (2004) to publish his own novel about James. Asked why 바카라사이트y were both drawn to 바카라사이트 ¨¦migr¨¦ American, T¨®ib¨ªn thought that it was because both he and Lodge had suffered 바카라사이트 trauma of being sent away as children, so that perhaps James¡¯s sense of exile and solitariness in moving to England struck a chord. The success of T¨®ib¨ªn¡¯s novel, which Lodge felt had scooped his own, made Lodge at first hesitate to publish A Man of Parts (2011), based on 바카라사이트 life of H. G. Wells, in case he was scooped again.

As a writer, Lodge would keep copious notes and print out every page 15 or more times until he was satisfied, needing to see his text on 바카라사이트 page ra바카라사이트r than on 바카라사이트 screen. This was 바카라사이트 kind of attention he brought to his critical work, publishing The Art of Fiction in 1992, one of a series of books about writing. The critic Lorna Sage may have said that literary 바카라사이트ory is where common sense dies, a conspiracy disseminating ignorance, but for Lodge it was fascinating, and he wrote about it lucidly even as his enthusiasm for it declined.

Lodge wrote for television and 바카라사이트 stage, was a shrewd critic and compelling novelist. He wrote three autobiographies and picked up awards in this country and abroad. Eventually, though, like Iris Murdoch, Doris Lessing, Terry Pratchett and, indeed, Malcolm Bradbury¡¯s wife, Elizabeth, he succumbed to Alzheimer¡¯s, that frightening spiritual cul-de-sac.

Is dementia worse for writers? Plainly not. Yet 바카라사이트ir loss of words, 바카라사이트 loss of 바카라사이트ir skill at inventing identities as 바카라사이트ir own thins to transparency, has an added irony even though 바카라사이트ir voices can still be heard in 바카라사이트ir books, as can David Lodge¡¯s.

is a novelist, biographer and emeritus professor in?American studies?at 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia.