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British writer John Robert Fowles is known for his novels, short stories and essays written in a special, unique style. In them the realistic is intertwined with the fantastic. The author's works correspond to the transitional period in art, when the trends of postmodernism became noticeable. Fowles's work reflects features inherent in literary works and.

Childhood and youth

John Fowles was born on March 21, 1926 in the provincial town of Essex, which was previously known as a fishing village. The boy's father was a cigar dealer. This family business has been passed down from generation to generation.

As a child, John spent time with his mother and older cousin Peggy. The girl, who was 18 years old when the baby was born, became his nanny. For the first 10 years, the boy whiled away his leisure time with her and shared secrets. Until the age of 16, John was the only child in the family.

Fowles attended school in Bedford and was head of the class. He showed an interest in rugby and cricket, making progress in the sport. The boy had no problems with his studies. He received new knowledge with pleasure. The school was followed by the University of Edinburgh, to which John preferred military service.

In 1945, he left the walls of the educational institution. I had training for service in the navy behind me. The young man planned to join the Royal Marines. But fate decreed otherwise, and he ended up in Devon, where he served at a military base.

After demobilization, Fowles went to Oxford and began studying German and French, becoming deeply imbued with the work of the French existentialists. Reflections on the absurdity of the universe prompted him to think about the work of a writer.

Literature

Between 1950 and 1963, John Fowles lived in France, in a small town called Poitiers. Here he worked at the university as an English teacher. In 1963, the writer’s first book, the novel “The Collector,” was published. The work describes the kidnapping and imprisonment of a young girl, whom a butterfly collector decided to add to his collection. The novel brought fame to the author and allowed him to fully concentrate on creativity, without thinking about working for a salary.

Fowles moved to Greece, to the island of Spetses, which resembles the setting of the novel “The Magus”. This book became an example of postmodernism in literature and was well received by the public, who at that time sang the ideas of hippies and anarchism.

Before the end of the sixties, The French Lieutenant's Mistress and Aristos were published. The last book was published in two editions. In 1953, Fowles returned to Britain and worked as a teacher in London. Then in 1968 he moved to the city of Lyme Regis in the south of England and settled in a house on the coast, leading a semi-reclusive lifestyle.

In his works, the author discusses the topic of freedom and responsibility, freedom of choice and love, and the importance of self-knowledge. Fowles describes nonconformist heroes trying to realize themselves within the traditional framework of society. In The French Lieutenant's Mistress, the author demonstrated a penchant for studying history. The same feature can be seen in the novel “The Worm”.

Fowles's works have been characterized as experimental novels and books with historical references. These features are inherent in postmodern literature. The writer was attracted to different genres. For example, among his works, in addition to novels, there was a voluminous epic “Daniel Martin” and the story “Mantissa”, a collection of short stories “The Ebony Tower” and even poems.

Fowles's world was multi-layered and deep. Imagery, unpredictability of the plot, and philosophical thoughts merged together, forming a style that critics characterized as “magical realism.” Fowles combined understatement, literary associations, paraphrases and allegories with historical detail to create compelling works.

He successfully combined his career as a writer with his work as the head of the city museum, which he held for 10 years.

Personal life

The writer met his future wife in Greece. For Elizabeth Christie, marriage to Fowles was the second. Ironically, her ex-husband was a teacher on the island of Spetses. The young people met when Christy was not free and there was no talk of a new romance. The education reform carried out in 1953 in Greece left many teachers, including John Fowles, without work. The man decided to move to England, like Christie’s family.

The friends did not see each other in their home country. During this time, Elizabeth managed to get a divorce, and a chance meeting provided an opportunity for the transition of friendly relations into something more. In 1954, Fowles and Christie married. The writer became a stepfather to his daughter Elizabeth from his first marriage.

The couple lived together for 35 years, during which Elizabeth inspired her husband. He described his beloved in novels, working on the images of the main characters. The woman accompanied Fowles while moving around England.

In 1965 they left London in search of a more pleasant place to write and chose a farm in Dorset. Lyme Regis subsequently became the family's final home. Elizabeth died in 1990. But the story of love in Fowles’ life did not end there. He married a second time.

Sarah Fowles became the novelist's wife in 1990. The couple lived together for 15 years. They were separated by the death of John Fowles in 2005.

Death

In 1988, the writer suffered a stroke, which greatly affected his health. For 17 years, Fowles felt the consequences of this tragic incident. Heart problems often made themselves felt, and in 2005 the writer died.

He spent his last days in solitude at his quiet home in Lyme Regis. Fowles did not give interviews, did not comment on his works, and became upset when bothered.

John Fowles is known as a novelist, but he has written short stories, film scripts and articles on historical topics. Interestingly, Fowles even wrote about feminism, canning, and croquet. He also translated from French and translated the fairy tale “Cinderella”.

According to the results of a 2004 survey, the novel “The Magus” is among the top 100 most read works in England. The Times named Fowles one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.

Fans of John Fowles can check out the film adaptations of his works. The directors chose for this the novels “The Collector”, “The Magus”, “The French Lieutenant’s Mistress” and “The Ebony Tower”. "The Collector", released in 1965, received three nominations for the prestigious Oscar award.

Quotes

John Fowles's statements and quotes from his works have become aphorisms. A wise philosopher hiding behind the pages of books, he voiced his thoughts in them, putting them into the mouths of the heroes.

“A reasonable person must be either an agnostic or an atheist. And tremble for your own skin. These are necessary features of developed intelligence."

“We all like to be loved or hated; this is a sign that we will be remembered... Therefore, many who were unable to arouse love aroused hatred. They remember this too.”

“You will not bring happiness to most people by making them run before they can walk.”

“By accepting ourselves as we are, we deprive ourselves of the hope of becoming what we should be.”

Bibliography

• 1963 - “The Collector”
• 1965 - “The Magus”
• 1969 - “The French Lieutenant’s Mistress”
• 1979 - “Ebony Tower”
• 1982 - “Mantissa”
• 1986 - “Doll”
• 1996 - “Worm”
• 2001 - "Daniel Martin"

FOWLES, JOHN ROBERT(Fowles, John Robert) (1926–2005) is an English writer whose popularity and canonical place in English literature has been unquestioned for several decades.

A man of wide talent, Fowles published six novels, a collection of novellas and short stories Tower of black tree (The Ebony Tower, 1974, trans. into Russian: K. Chugunov, 1993); philosophical book ( The Aristos, revised ed. 1969, trans. into Russian B. Kuzminsky, 1993); collection Poems(Poems, 1973), a number of translations from French, film scripts, literary articles, essays, autobiographical notes, memories and reflections, most fully presented in the collection wormholes (Wormholes, 1997, trans. into Russian: I. Bessmertnaya, I. Togoev, 2002).

Fowles was born on March 31, 1926 in Leigh-On-Sea, Essex. He studied at an elite school in Bedford, then served in the Royal Navy in the Marine Corps. After the war, he continued his education at Oxford University, where in 1950 he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in French literature. Over the next 10 years he taught English language and literature in France, Greece and in educational institutions in and around London.

Fowles' first published novel Collector (The Collector, 1963, trans. into Russian: I. Bessmertnaya, 1993) brought success to the author and made him famous, allowing him to leave teaching and focus on his own creativity. The novel has been translated into many foreign languages, and its popularity was greatly facilitated by a film that is well known to Russian audiences: Collector, England, 1965, dir. William Wyler, in ch. Starring: Terence Stump, Samantha Eggar.

Until the end of the 1960s, two more novels by the writer were published - Magus (The Magus, 1965, revised version 1977, trans. into Russian: B. Kuzminsky, who not without reason chose for the title not the international meaning of the word “magician”, but the Slavic “magician”, thereby bringing it as close as possible to the Russian context) and the novel French woman lieutenant(The French Lieutenant's Woman, 1969, trans. into Russian: M. Becker, I. Komarova, 1990).

Novel , awarded a prestigious French prize, according to many critics, is the best work of the writer. Immersing readers in the era of Victorian England of the 60s-19th centuries, the author manages to look at the world he recreates through the eyes of our contemporary, free from the prejudices of that era. At the same time, Fowles achieves the effect of maximum presence, inviting the reader at the end of the novel to make a choice together with his hero - to become like a cautious everyman or to risk finding his “I” in the eternal conflict of duty and feelings. The film based on the novel also greatly contributed to its success with the public and is also familiar to Russian audiences: French Lieutenant's Woman, USA, dir. Karel Reigi, in ch. starring: Meryl Streep, .

IN Magus,Collector, And Aristos(1964, subtitle Self-portrait in ideas) the author focuses on the problems of human love, freedom and a sense of responsibility for one’s choice. At the same time, the writer’s heroes always carry within themselves the secret of a complex and completely unsolved personality. In addition, the author’s favorite motif – the opposition between “The Few and All” – is also refracted in different ways in this unique triptych. Concerning Collector, then here, along with the motive of the captivity and final destruction of the Few by All, another “persistent idea of ​​Fowles is heard - the disastrous perversity of the collector,” who represents the archetype of all collectors of the living.

The action of the novel Magus takes place on a desert island of Greece, where a mysterious magician carries out cruel experiments, plunging people into various psychological states and taking them beyond the usual, everyday ideas about the boundaries of human freedom, even to the point of permissiveness.

In the novel Worm(A Maggot, 1986, trans. into Russian: V. Lanchikov, 1996) the eighteenth century is described in as much detail as the 19th century - in To the French Lieutenant's Woman. In the interval between these works, two more examples of Fowles's original prose were published - an epic Daniel Martin (Daniel Martin, 1977, trans. into Russian: I. Bessmertnaya, 2001) and a story unexpected in its miniature Mantissa (Mantissa, 1982, trans. into Russian: I. Bessmertnaya, 2000) - a fantasy on the theme of the confrontation between the creator and his muse.

A collection of articles by Fowles, published in 1997, entitled wormholes represents the evolution of writers' views on literary creativity, on how literature relates to life and morality. The writer reflects on the problem of evolution, on man’s loss of his original “roots” (the problem of Home), on the state of loss as a general condition of humanity, on his rejection of the post-industrial society of virtual reality and information technology, on chaos and the role of chance in history, and finally, on his political beliefs and support for the green movement.

John Robert Fowles was born into the family of a successful cigar merchant. After graduating from a prestigious school in Bedford, he entered the University of Edinburgh, but in 1945, shortly before the end of the Second World War, he left it for military service. After two years in the Marine Corps, Fowles abandoned his military career and entered Oxford University, majoring in French and German. In 1950-1963 Fowles taught at the University of Poitiers in France, then at a grammar school on the Greek island of Spetses, which served as the prototype for the setting in the novel “The Magus,” and at St. Godric’s College in London.

Fowles's first published novel, The Collector (1963), brought him success and freed him from the need to earn a living as a teacher. Until the end of the 1960s, two more novels were published, large in volume and daring in concept - “The Magus” (The Magus, 1965; revised version 1977) and “The French Lieutenant's Woman”, 1969), as well as two editions of the book "Aristos", the subtitle of which - "Self-Portrait in Ideas" - gives an idea of ​​​​the content of this work and its significance for understanding the early stage of Fowles's work.

In The Collector, The Magus and Aristos, the author's attention is focused on the problem of human freedom (its nature, limits and the associated sense of responsibility), as well as on the fundamental relationship between love, self-knowledge and freedom of choice. In fact, these problems determine the themes of all of Fowles's works. His heroes and heroines are nonconformists, striving to somehow realize themselves within the framework of a conformist society.

The book "The French Lieutenant's Woman", awarded a prestigious literary prize, is, according to many critics, Fowles's best work. This is both an experimental and historical novel, taking readers into a thoroughly recreated Victorian world, but not for a minute allowing them to forget that they are modern people and are separated from what is happening by a huge historical distance. The book “The Worm” (A Maggot, 1986) describes the eighteenth century in as much detail as “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” describes the nineteenth century. In the interval between the publications of these wonderful historical-experimental novels, two more examples of Fowles's original prose were published - the gigantic epic "Daniel Martin" (Daniel Martin, 1977) and the somewhat unexpected in its miniature story "Mantissa" (Mantissa, 1982) - a fantasy on the theme confrontation between the creator and his muse.

Many of Fowles' books have been filmed. In 1965, the film “The Collector” was released. And in 1981, the film based on the writer’s novel “The French Lieutenant’s Woman,” starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons, was nominated for an Oscar.

In 1988, Fowles suffered a stroke and subsequently suffered from cardiac problems. Living in seclusion, the writer rarely appeared in public in recent years.

According to the results of a nationwide survey of British people called "The Big Read", conducted in 2004, John Fowles' novel "The Magus" was included in the hundred most popular and read books in the UK.

Years of life: from 03/31/1926 to 11/05/2005

John Robert Fowles is an English writer, novelist and essayist. One of the outstanding representatives of postmodernism in literature.

Born into the family of a successful cigar merchant. He graduated from a prestigious school in Bedford, where during his studies he proved himself to be a good athlete and a capable student. He soon entered the University of Edinburgh, but in 1945, shortly before the end of the Second World War, he left it for military service. After two years in the Marine Corps, Fowles abandoned his military career and entered Oxford University, majoring in French and German. In 1950-1963 Fowles taught at the University of Poitiers in France, then at a grammar school on the Greek island of Spetses, which served as the prototype for the setting in the novel “The Magus,” and at St. Godric’s College in London.

Fowles' first published novel, The Collector, brought him success and freed him from the need to earn a living as a teacher. Until the end of the 1960s, two more novels were published, large in volume and daring in concept - “The Magus” and “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”, as well as two editions of the book “Aristos”, the subtitle of which is “Self-Portrait in Ideas” - gives an idea of ​​both the content of this work and its significance for understanding the early stage of Fowles’s work.

In The Collector, The Magus and Aristos, the author's attention is focused on the problem of human freedom (its nature, limits and the associated sense of responsibility), as well as on the fundamental relationship between love, self-knowledge and freedom of choice. In fact, these problems determine the themes of all of Fowles's works. His heroes and heroines are nonconformists, striving to somehow realize themselves within the framework of a conformist society.

In 1963, the success of Fowles's first book allowed him to leave teaching and devote himself entirely to literary work. In 1968, Fowles settled in the small town of Lyme Regis in the south of England. He spent most of his life in his house on the seashore and gained fame as a reserved person. Interest in history, especially reflected in the novels “The French Lieutenant’s Mistress” and “The Worm,” was inherent in Fowles not only at his desk, since in 1979 the writer headed the city museum and held this post for ten years. Fowles’ health was seriously undermined by a stroke , which struck him in 1988. John Fowles was married twice, his first wife Elizabeth dying in 1990. Fowles's major works received worldwide recognition, and the films based on them contributed to the popularity and commercial success of the writer's books.

The book "The French Lieutenant's Woman", awarded a prestigious literary prize, is, according to many critics, Fowles's best work. This is both an experimental and historical novel, taking readers into a thoroughly recreated Victorian world, but not for a minute allowing them to forget that they are modern people and are separated from what is happening by a huge historical distance. In the book "The Worm" the eighteenth century is described in as much detail as in "The French Lieutenant's Woman" - the nineteenth century. In the interval between the publications of these wonderful historical and experimental novels, two more examples of Fowles’s original prose were published - the gigantic epic “Daniel Martin” and the somewhat unexpected in its miniature story “Mantissa - a fantasy on the theme of the confrontation between the creator and his muse.

All subsequent books by Fowles: the novels “Daniel Martin”, “Mantissa”, the collection of short stories “The Ebony Tower”, “The Worm”, the collection “Poems” - in different years repeated this success, together creating an amazing, multifaceted and diverse world of Fowles, in which the entertainment The plot is complemented by complex, sometimes quite confusing philosophical considerations; a world in which the style of the Victorian novel is inseparable from Latin American “magical realism”; a world woven from a myriad of unexpected literary associations: from medieval French ballads to modern “absurdist” writers. Fowles always carries the mystery of a complex, sometimes very strange, sometimes not very charming - but always fascinating personality. Much in his novels remains completely “undecipherable”; Fowles never appears in the guise of some omniscient, wise author, inviting the reader to unravel with him. secrets of the human subconscious.

The writer also penned a number of magnificent translations from French; film scripts; literary critical articles; many other books and articles that are not strictly fiction and touch on topics as varied as Stonehenge and home canning, feminism and croquet.

Since 1968, Fowles has lived on the south coast of England - in the city of Lyme Regis. Symposiums dedicated to him are now held here.

In 1999, the writer published a book of essays, Wormholes. But now the time has come for publications about Fowles, like a book of interviews or the collection “Fowles and Nature,” where literary scholars analyze the role of landscape in the writer’s work.

Fowles did not limit himself to the major literary form - he excellently translated from French, wrote film scripts, and literary critical articles. His sphere of interests also included topics that, at first glance, did not deserve the attention of a famous writer and man, such as home canning, feminism, and playing croquet.

In his last interview, given in 2003, John Fowles complained about the increased and annoying attention to his person. "A writer, more or less famous, living alone, will always be pursued by readers. They want to see him, talk to him. And they do not realize that very often this gets on their nerves."

In the last years of his life, Fowles was seriously ill. On November 5, 2005, at the age of 80, the writer died.

Writer's Awards

According to the results of a national survey of British people called "The Big Read", conducted in 2004, John Fowles' novel "The Magus" was included in the hundred most popular and read books in the UK