The 1st volume of this trilogy, Born at the right time, offers a dive into its past, while Writer's Luckreveals the mysteries of his literary creation. In Succeed, more or lesshe shares his quest for new forms of writing.
In a statement, Penguin Random House shared: “ He inspired great affection in those who were fortunate enough to work on his books and his commitment to the world of writing was unwavering and deep. His death is a huge loss for all of us at Penguin Random House and for British letters. »
A theoretical novelist
Born on January 28, 1935 in Brockley, south-east London, his childhood was marked by the Second World War, during which he was evacuated with his mother. An experience which would later shape certain themes of his writings.
In 1960 he began his academic career as a lecturer at the University of Birmingham, an institution he left in 1987. His early writings, notably The Picturegoers (1960), not translated into French, reflect his youthful experiences at Brockley. More generally, his work aims to capture the nuances of post-war British life with acuity and empathy.
David Lodge also introduced to Britain the theories of the precursor of sociolinguistics, Mikhail Bakhtin, and frequently used narrative techniques such as interior monologue and intertextual references.
Editions Rivages published the works of David Lodge from the early 1990s, including La Chute du British Museum in 1991. The academic's first theoretical work published in France is On reflection, in 2003.
-He also portrayed, with humor, academic life through his Campus Trilogy : Change of scenery (Shore, 1990), A very small world (Rivages, 1991) and Board game (Shore, 1990).
The Briton has also written television scripts and plays. He was made a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 1997 and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1998.
In a press release taken by The BooksellersDavid Lodge’s children confide: “ It was interesting growing up with David Lodge as a father. Colleagues from the University of Birmingham and writers from all over the world came to our house in Birmingham. The conversation at the supper table was always lively, our mother Mary held her place well, meanwhile David was ready with a reference book to check something that was in dispute. We are very proud of his accomplishments and the pleasure that his fiction, in particular, has brought to so many people. »
His long-time editor, Geoff Mulligan, says: “ It was my great fortune to work with David for many years and on several books. Our editorial sessions, which took place in his apartment near Cecil Court, were both enlightening and very entertaining. They provoked in-depth discussions about a character's motivation, the particular Burgundy they might drink, sometimes just one word, which I still remember. (…) For someone with his enormous achievements as an academic, novelist, playwright and screenwriter, he was always modest, kind, generous and a pleasure to be around. »
By Hocine Bouhadjera
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