John Boynton Priestley

Who was John Boynton Priestley?

John Boynton Priestley, OM, known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster.

His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in The Good Companions, which first brought him to wide public notice. Many of his plays are structured around a time-slip, and he went on to develop a new theory of time, with different dimensions that link past, present and future.

In 1940, he broadcast a series of short propaganda talks that were credited with saving civilian morale during the Battle of Britain. His left-wing beliefs brought him into conflict with the government, but influenced the birth of the Welfare State.