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1935-
Critic and novelist. Born in Dulwich, south London and was a pupil at St. Joseph's Academy, Blackheath, a Catholic school. He attended University College, London (UCL) from 1952 until 1955, where he read English. Following his graduation he undertook national service and this is recalled in his novel Ginger, you're barmy (1962). He then returned to UCL to complete a large MA thesis on catholic fiction. He held posts at the School of English, University of Birmingham , from 1960, subsequently becoming a Professor in 1976 until his retirement in 1987. He was made Honorary Professor of Modern English Literature at the University following his early retirement which he took in order to devote all his time to writing.
He has published eleven novels, the latest Thinks , appearing in March 2001. A further novel, Author, author, about the success and failure of Henry James, is due in September 2004. His style in fiction has swung between realism and parodies of literary styles and his knowledge of academic circles has often been used to great effect. One of his most enduring works is Nice work (1988) which is a re-working of the popular nineteenth century industrial novel of Elizabeth Gaskell and others, and is set in the West Midlands. Other well known novels include the satirical campus novels Changing places (1975) and its sequel, Small world (1984) which have been compared with the work of Kingsley Amis in Lucky Jim (1954) and early Malcolm Bradbury. David Lodge's thoughts on religion in 1970's Britain forms the the background to How far can you go (1978), a study of moral and sociological change.
During his long career at the University of Birmingham he wrote several critical studies on modern literary trends and on specific literary figures, including Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh. Language of fiction (1966) remains one of his most important critical works. More recent work includes The novelist at the crossroads (1971) and Write on (1986).
He has also written for the theatre and television, with several plays and screenplay adaptations of his own novels, such as Nice work for television in 1989. His first full stage play, The writing game , was performed at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1990. His second play, Home truths was also produced at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1998 and subsequently turned into a novella, published in 1999. He had a notable success with his television adaptation of Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens in 1994.
David Lodge's work has attracted much attention and he has won many awards. In 1980, How far can you go? was proclaimed Whitbread Book of the Year. Small world was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1984, as was Nice work four years later, going on to become the Sunday Express Book of the Year. Changing places (1975) gained both the Hawthornden Prize and the Yorkshire Post Fiction Prize. In 1998 he was awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for his service to literature.
David's latest book of essays, published in the autumn of 2002, is entitled Consciousness and the novel: connected essays and includes discussion of Therapy and Thinks .
Works marked with an asterisk (*) are available in the West Midlands Creative Literature Collection :-
Author, author (September 2004)
British museum is falling down (1965)*
Changing places (1975)*
Ginger, you're barmy (1962)*
Home truths Novella (1999)
How far can you go? (1980) [U.S. title Souls and
bodies]*
Nice work (1988)*
Out of the shelter (1970)*
Paradise news (1991)
The picturegoers (1960)
Small world: an academic romance (1984)*
Therapy (1995)
Thinks (2001)
The Literary Encyclopedia has a profile of David Lodge by Merritt Moseley, University of North Carolina.
Background information and a review of Nice work is available on this website.
Raymond H. Thompson interviewed David Lodge in May 1989 and it is recorded amongst his Interviews with Authors of Modern Arthurian Literature.
There is also an interview with David Lodge available on Lidia Vianu's website.
Amy Welborn has an interesting page on the author on her website, entitled Sacraments and Snogging.
Page created 19 September 2001 and last
updated 9 August 2005
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