Jonathan_Smith_(novelist)
Jonathan Smith (born 1942) is an English novelist, playwright, writer and teacher. A career English teacher, best known for his novels, he has also written many radio plays.
Jonathan Smith | |
---|---|
Born | 1942 (age 81–82) Gloucestershire, England |
Occupation | Novelist, playwright, teacher |
Nationality | British |
Genre | Historical fiction Semi-autobiographical |
Children | 2 |
Smith was born in Gloucestershire to a family of teachers originally from the Rhondda Valley in South Wales.[1] He was educated at Christ College, Brecon and read English at St John's College, Cambridge.
Smith took up his first teaching job at Loretto School near Edinburgh in Scotland. After a brief stint at Melbourne Grammar School in Australia, he taught at Tonbridge School for the rest of his career and was head of English for 17 years.[1] He published five novels during his teaching career before retiring in 2002 to concentrate on writing. His former pupils at Tonbridge include Sir Anthony Seldon, novelist Vikram Seth,[2] poet Christopher Reid, actor Dan Stevens[3] and musician Kit Hesketh-Harvey.
A number of his works have been adapted for television and film. His first novel Wilfred and Eileen was adapted for into a four-part serial which aired in 1981 on BBC One.[4] His first radio play The World Walk was adapted for television and aired on BBC Two.[5] His 1995 novel Summer in February was adapted into a full-length film.[6] The novel The Churchill Secret KBO, was adapted for a feature-length movie starring Michael Gambon, screened in 2016 on ITV under the title Churchill's Secret.[7][8] His two radio plays on John Betjeman were broadcast on Radio 4 in 2017.
Smith and his wife Gillian have a daughter, Becky, an educational consultant, and a son, Ed, who is the former England National Cricket Selector, a former England cricketer and published author.
In 2006, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer, he and his son went on a trip to India.[2] It was the inspiration for his book The Following Game, published in 2011.[9]
Novels
- Wilfred and Eileen (1976)
- The English Lover (1977)
- In Flight (1980)
- Come Back (1985)
- Summer in February. Abacus (1996). ISBN 978-0349107462
- Night Windows. Abacus (2004). ISBN 978-0349115313[10][11]
- The Churchill Secret KBO. Abacus (2015).
Autobiographical
- The Learning Game: A Teacher's Inspirational Story. Abacus (2002). ISBN 978-0349113883
- The Following Game. Peridot Press (2011). ISBN 978-1-908095-01-5
Radio dramas
Over twenty plays including:
- Abandoned, about Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel (BBC Radio 4)
- The Trenches Trip (BBC Radio 4)
- The Tennis Court (Radio 4)
- Portrait of Winston (Radio 4)
- Mr Betjeman's Class (Radio 4)
- Mr Betjeman Regrets (Radio 4)
- "The score so far". Times Educational Supplement. 11 May 2008.
- "The best teachers will always bowl you over". The Guardian. 19 June 2011.
- "Dan Stevens: My Best Teacher". Times Educational Supplement. 23 September 2011. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- "Big head, small heart". Daily Telegraph. 24 October 2004.