Context sheet

J.B. Priestley

Born in Bradford, Yorkshire

—> which the Yorkshire’s culture influences a lot of his work

He witnessed a lot of poverty among the working class

He was raised surrounded by socialist values, mostly his father and his friends. Therefore, cementing his own socialist values while still relatively young

WW1 broke out when Priestley was 19, nearly 20. He volunteered for the army, and served for 5 years as a private, lance-corporal and later an officer.

Although he survived physically unscathed, his experience at war will haunt him forever.

After the war, he studied modern history and political science at Cambridge University. He relocated to London and became a famous essayist, novelist and radio broadcaster. On top of that, he became a prominent socialist, using his platform to speak out about class inequality and poverty in Britain.

WW2 broke out, Priestley became a radio broadcaster for the BBC. The show ‘Postscripts’ was a chance for him to reflect on the wartime conditions and boost national morale.

1942, he became a co-founder of the Common Wealth Party (a socialist political party). He was an influential figure in British politics, helping the Labour party win the election in 1945.

A key theme in Priestley’s work was responsibility. He look at how the individual and the collective had responsibilities and duties. Many of his plays looking at he effects of a individual’s actions over a passage of time.

The Victorian Influence