J.B Priestley, whose real name is John Boynton Priestley, is a renowned English author who was born in Bradford, England in September 1894. He is known for his works as a novelist, scriptwriter, playwright, broadcaster, and social commentator. Priestley's father was a schoolmaster, and his mother passed away when he was two years old. His father remarried four years later.
Priestley attended Belle Vue Grammar school and left at the age of sixteen to work as a junior clerk at a wool firm named Helm and company in Swan Arcade. While working there, he began writing at night and published his articles in London and local newspapers. Following the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, Priestley joined the British Army and was sent to France, where he took part in the Battle of Loos. He was wounded in 1917 and returned to England for six months before going back to the Western Front. After suffering the consequences of a German gas attack, he was declared unfit for active service and was transferred to the Entertainers Section of the British Army.
After leaving the army, Priestley studied at Cambridge University and completed a degree in Modern History and Political Science. He then found work as a theatre reviewer with the Daily News and contributed to the Spectator, the Challenge, and Nineteenth Century. His earliest books included 'The English Comic Characters' (1925), 'The English Novel' (1927), and 'English Humour' (1928). His breakthrough came with the immensely popular novel 'The Good Companions,' published in 1929, and 'Angel Pavement' followed in 1930. He also emerged as a successful dramatist with plays such as 'Dangerous Corner' (1932), 'Time and the Conways' (1937), 'When We Are Married' (1938), and 'An Inspector Calls' (1947).
Priestley's 'English Journey,' published in 1934, emphasized his concern for social problems and the welfare of ordinary people. During the Second World War, he became a popular and influential broadcaster with his famous Postscripts that followed the nine o'clock news BBC Radio on Sunday evenings. His prolific output continued right up to his final years, and he remained a great literary all-rounder. Priestley's favorite among his books was for many years the novel 'Bright Day,' though he later said he had come to prefer 'The Image Men.' He was also an outstanding essayist, and many of his short pieces best capture his passions and his great talent and mastery of the English language.