John Lodwick
Encyclopedia
John Alan Patrick Lodwick, (2 March 1916 – 18 March 1959) was a British novelist.
just before his son's birth, Lodwick attended Cheltenham College
and the Royal Naval Academy
at Dartmouth
. He spent some time working as a journalist in Dublin before moving to France. He later recalled writing several unpublished novels during this period, but in a contrasting account stated that he wrote only plays. He joined the French Foreign Legion
at the outbreak of the World War II, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre
in 1940. His prize-winning first novel, which he began to write while stranded in Vichy France
, Running to Paradise, is a fictionalised account of combat with the Legion and experiences as a prisoner of war
. Subsequently he served as an officer in the Special Operations Executive, parachuting behind enemy lines to work undercover as a saboteur, and, in the rank of Captain, served with the Special Boat Service
on raids in the Mediterranean and the Aegean. He was mentioned in despatches in 1945.
In addition to novels, he also published two volumes of autobiography, the second left incomplete at the time of his death in a car accident in Spain. Some of his books reflect his war experiences, including his exploits as an officer in the Special Boat Service
. He also wrote thrillers which analyse the psychological and spiritual motivations of their protagonists.
wrote: "He is not afraid of rhetoric, grandiloquence; his knowledge of foreign literature is wide; his mastery of the English language matches Evelyn Waugh's." He warned, nevertheless, that because of his early death he was "in danger of being neglected", and indeed D.J. Taylor has written that in the post-war years Lodwick's "doomy romanticism sat queerly alongside the comic realism of a Waterhouse or an Amis: Lodwick's reputation did not survive the 1960's." He has been described as an "odd-man-out" among his literary contemporaries, and credited with a "picaresque and romantic" imagination.
Life
Son of a father in the Indian Army, who died in the sinking of the SS PersiaSS Persia
SS Persia was a P&O passenger liner, built in 1900 by Caird & Company, Inverclyde, Greenock, Scotland. It was torpedoed and sunk without warning on 30 December 1915, by German U-Boat commander Max Valentiner....
just before his son's birth, Lodwick attended Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
and the Royal Naval Academy
Royal Naval Academy
The Royal Naval Academy was established at Portsmouth Dockyard as a facility to train officers for the Royal Navy. The founders' intentions were to provide an alternative means to recruit officers and to provide standardised training, education and admission.-Training:In 1773, a shore side...
at Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
. He spent some time working as a journalist in Dublin before moving to France. He later recalled writing several unpublished novels during this period, but in a contrasting account stated that he wrote only plays. He joined the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
at the outbreak of the World War II, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
in 1940. His prize-winning first novel, which he began to write while stranded in Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
, Running to Paradise, is a fictionalised account of combat with the Legion and experiences as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. Subsequently he served as an officer in the Special Operations Executive, parachuting behind enemy lines to work undercover as a saboteur, and, in the rank of Captain, served with the Special Boat Service
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
on raids in the Mediterranean and the Aegean. He was mentioned in despatches in 1945.
In addition to novels, he also published two volumes of autobiography, the second left incomplete at the time of his death in a car accident in Spain. Some of his books reflect his war experiences, including his exploits as an officer in the Special Boat Service
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
. He also wrote thrillers which analyse the psychological and spiritual motivations of their protagonists.
Critical reception
The novels were admired by the author Somerset Maugham. A few years after Lodwick's death, Anthony BurgessAnthony Burgess
John Burgess Wilson – who published under the pen name Anthony Burgess – was an English author, poet, playwright, composer, linguist, translator and critic. The dystopian satire A Clockwork Orange is Burgess's most famous novel, though he dismissed it as one of his lesser works...
wrote: "He is not afraid of rhetoric, grandiloquence; his knowledge of foreign literature is wide; his mastery of the English language matches Evelyn Waugh's." He warned, nevertheless, that because of his early death he was "in danger of being neglected", and indeed D.J. Taylor has written that in the post-war years Lodwick's "doomy romanticism sat queerly alongside the comic realism of a Waterhouse or an Amis: Lodwick's reputation did not survive the 1960's." He has been described as an "odd-man-out" among his literary contemporaries, and credited with a "picaresque and romantic" imagination.
Novels
- Running To Paradise (1943)
- Myrmyda: A Novel Of The Aegean (1946) (U.S. title: Aegean Adventure)
- Peal Of Ordnance (1947)
- Twenty East Of Greenwich; or, A Barnum Among The Robespierres (1947)
- Brother Death (1948)
- Something In The Heart (1948)
- Just A Song At Twilight (1949)
- Stamp Me Mortal (1950)
- First Steps Inside The Zoo (1950) (U.S. title: The Man Dormant)
- The Cradle Of Neptune (1951)
- Love Bade Me Welcome (1952)
- Somewhere A Voice Is Calling (1953)
- The Butterfly Net (1954)
- The Starless Night (1955)
- Contagion To This World (1956)
- Equator (1957)
- The Moon Through A Dusty Window (1960)
Autobiography
- Bid The Soldiers Shoot (1958)
- The Asparagus Trench: An Autobiographical Beginning (1960)
Other works
- The Filibusters:The Story of the Special Boat Service (1947) (re-issued as Raiders from the Sea)
- The Forbidden Coast: The Story Of A Journey To Rio De Oro (1956)
- (With D.H. Young) Gulbenkian: An Interpretation Of Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1958)