John Braine
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Born in Bingley, near Bradford, Yorkshire, Braine left St. Bede's Grammar School at 16 and worked in a shop, a laboratory and a factory before becoming, after the war, a librarian. Although he wrote twelve works of fiction, Braine is chiefly remembered today for his first novel, Room at the Top (1957), which was also turned into a successful film (1959). Braine is usually associated with the Angry Young Men movement. Following his success he moved to the south of England, living for a time in the town of Woking (Surrey, England). His 1968 novel, The Crying Game, is set in London and captures some of the atmosphere of the 'Swinging Sixties'. It is not to be confused with the film of the same title. Braine, who was once on the left of British politics, turned to the right-wing. A passage that is exemplified in a short pamphlet that was brought out for the 'Monday Club'. Braine's reputation is somewhat diminished, a remarkable decline considering the impact of his early novels.