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The Experimentalists is a collective biography, capturing the life and times of the British experimental writers of the swinging 1960s. A decade of research, including as-yet unopened archives and interviews with the writers' colleagues, is brought together to produce a comprehensive history of this ill-starred group of renegade writers. Whether the bolshie B.S. Johnson, the globetrotting Ann Quin, the cerebral Christine Brooke-Rose, or the omnipresent Anthony Burgess, these writers each brought their own unique contributions to literature at a time uniquely open to their iconoclastic message. The journey connects historical moments from Bletchley Park, to Paris May '68, to terrorist groups of the 1970s. A tale of love, loss, friendship and a shared vision, this book is a fascinating insight into a bold, provocative and influential group of writers whose collective story has gone untold, until now.
List of contents
1. Introduction
2. 1960 and Before
3. 1960 to 1963
4. 1964 to 1965
5. 1966 to 1967
6. 1968 to 1969
7. 1970 to 1972
8. 1973 and After
Index
About the author
Joseph Darlington is the head of the animation degree at Futureworks Media School in Manchester, UK, where he specialises in writing across medias. He has published an academic monograph, British Terrorist Novels of the 1970s, and a number of creative works including short stories and a small-press novel.
Summary
The Experimentalists is a collective biography, capturing the life and times of the British experimental writers of the swinging 1960s. A decade of research, including as-yet unopened archives and interviews with the writers’ colleagues, is brought together to produce a comprehensive history of this ill-starred group of renegade writers. Whether the bolshie B.S. Johnson, the globetrotting Ann Quin, the cerebral Christine Brooke-Rose, or the omnipresent Anthony Burgess, these writers each brought their own unique contributions to literature at a time uniquely open to their iconoclastic message. The journey connects historical moments from Bletchley Park, to Paris May ’68, to terrorist groups of the 1970s. A tale of love, loss, friendship and a shared vision, this book is a fascinating insight into a bold, provocative and influential group of writers whose collective story has gone untold, until now.
Foreword
This is the first collective biography of the experimental writers of the British 1960s and their surprisingly large influence on modern writing.
Additional text
A truly amazing book! - Philip Tew, Professor Emeritus, Brunel University, UK
