John Wyndham's Hampshire connection Find!

Steep may be a small village but it has several rich literary connections. It counts among its residents not only Edward Thomas but also John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (1903-1969) -- better known by his first two names, under which he published a string of science-fiction/fantasy novels. He attended Bedales School in the village between 1918 and 1921, and following his marriage in 1963, he returned to live just outside Petersfield until his death a few years later.

His best-known novels are probably The Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos -- filmed under the name of Village of the Damned. His novels tend to have a 1950s English setting and were dismissed as "cosy catastrophes" by fellow sci-fi author Brian Aldiss.They are resolutely "English" with sensible, middle-class people facing extraordinary situations. But, they do not seem irrelevant or outdated 50 years later: Trouble with Lichen has a strongly feminist thrust and examines the challenges (and opportunities) of a society in which life can be extended to twice or three times its "natural" length; other works tackle the problems that result from a disruption, alien or otherwise, to the environment. They're still in print and easily available in second-hand shops; treat yourself!

31 October 2009 from Rachel the editor

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