Gordon Bowker (writer)

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Gordon Bowker
Gordon Bowker, 1996, courtesy of Rhoda Bowker
Gordon Bowker, 1996, courtesy of Rhoda Bowker
BornGordon Philip Bowker
1934
Died14 January 2019
Occupation
  • Lecturer
  • journalist
  • biographer
NationalityEnglish
GenreBiography
SpouseRamdei Rhoda Bowker

Gordon Bowker (1934 – 14 January 2019)[1] was an English journalist and academic who wrote biographies[2] of Malcolm Lowry, Lawrence Durrell, George Orwell and James Joyce.

Life and works

Bowker grew up in a

Saltley College
in 1957.

Later, he went on to read English, Sociology and Philosophy at

The Times Educational Supplement and The Illustrated London News.[9]

After leaving Goldsmiths' College in 1991, Bowker focused his attention on writing literary biography, starting with Pursued by Furies: a Life of Malcolm Lowry, which he originally published in 1993.[10] His first biography became a New York Times Best Seller and "Notable Book of the Year" in 1995.[11] The following year, Bowker published Through the Dark Labyrinth: a Biography of Lawrence Durrell.[12]

Over the next five years, Bowker turned his attention to George Orwell, publishing a biography of Orwell in 2003[13] to commemorate a century since that writer's birth. Over the next few years, Bowker expanded his Orwell interests, promoting the re-publication of a book that revealed insights in to Orwell’s childhood (Eric & Us), and actively participating in the establishment of The Orwell Society, writing articles for The Orwell Foundation[14] as well as Orwell Direct.[15] In 2011, Bowker published what was to be his last book, James Joyce: a New Biography.[16]

In 2022, the Society of Authors created a new prize called the Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize, awarded for a novel "focusing on the experience of travel away from home", endowed by Bowker's widow, named for Malcolm Lowry's novel Under the Volcano.[17]

References

  1. ^ Bowker, Gordon Philip. "Probate". Gov.UK. UK Government Probate. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  2. ^ MacMillan Publishers. "Gordon Bowker". MacMillan Publishers. MacMillan. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  3. ^ Penguin Books. "Gordon Bowker". Penguin Random House UK. Penguin. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  4. ^ Bowker, Gordon. "Accounts of Authorship : an analysis of the construction of literary subjects". Senate House Library. University of London. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  5. ^ Bowker, Gordon. "Gordon Bowker". Encyclopedia.com. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  6. ^ Faber. "Authors". Faber Literary Blog. Faber. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  7. ^ Bowker, Gordon. "Olivia Manning: a life, by Neville & June Braybrooke". Independent. Independent. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  8. ^ Macmillan. "Authors". Macmillan Publishers. US Macmillan. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  9. ^ Higham, David. "Authors". David Higham Literary Agents. David Higham. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  10. ISBN 978-0-312-12748-0
    .
  11. ^ The New York Times (10 December 1995). "Best Sellers". The New York Times. No. 10 December 1995 - Section 7, page 42. The New York Times. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  12. ISBN 978-0-349-11551-1
    .
  13. ISBN 978-0-349-11551-1
    .
  14. ^ Bowker, Gordon. "The Biography Orwell Never Wrote". The Orwell Foundation. The Orwell Foundation. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  15. ^ The Orwell Society. "History". The Orwell Society. The Orwell Society. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  16. ISBN 978-0-374-17872-7
    .
  17. ^ Anon. "The Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize". The Society of Authors. The Society of Authors. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gordon_Bowker_(writer)&oldid=1196064414"