J. B. Priestley

John Boynton Priestley, best known for "Time and the Conways" and "An Inspector Calls", was a writer of great versatility, producing essays, novels and plays, in addition to working as a journalist and broadcaster. He was born in 1894 in Bradford and served in the army during World War I before going to Trinity College, Cambridge, where his writing career began. He had a number of novels published in the 1920s and, in 1932, his first stage play, "Dangerous Corner", achieved instant acclaim. During World War II, his famous postscript broadcasts raised morale and were much envied by Winston Churchill. In the 1950's, he worked as a delegate for UNESCO and his article "Britain and the Nuclear Bomb" sparked off the formation of the CND. He married three times, his third wife being the famous archaeologist Jacquetta Hawkes, with whom he lived in Alveston, near Stratford-upon-Avon for most of their long and happy marriage. Priestly died in 1984, but his plays continue to enjoy critical and commercial success.