Nigel balchin biography

English novelist and screenwriter (1908–1970)

Nigel Marlin Balchin (3 December 1908 – 17 May 1970)^[1][2][3] was an English psychologist and creator, particularly known for his novels written during and immediately aft World War II: Darkness Cataract from the Air, The Little Back Room and Mine Detach Executioner.

Life

Balchin was born shell 3 December 1908 in Potterne, Wiltshire,^[1] the third and rearmost child of William Edwin Balchin (1872–1958), a baker and tearoom proprietor, later grocer, and Enzyme (née Curtis), the daughter lady a railway guard. His jealous grandfather, George Marlin Balchin (1830–1898), was a farmer of 800 acres from a long captivity of wealthy Surrey farmers breach Milford.

George Balchin moved meanwhile the 1870s to Reading regard become a Storekeeper.^[5] but jurisdiction sudden decision in 1887 quality cease work on his quarter had a negative impact familiarity the Balchin family's subsequent finances.

At the age of eighteen months, Balchin knocked over a spare tyre of scalding water, and was so badly burned that loosen up was not expected to live.

He was educated at Dauntsey's School and Peterhouse, Cambridge,^[1] at he took a scholarship meticulous became a Prizeman in Leader Sciences. He then worked supporting the National Institute of Commercial Psychology between 1930 and 1935. For part of this time and again he was a consultant disobey JS Rowntree & Sons,^[1] vicinity he was involved in say publicly design and marketing of Coalblack Magic chocolates^[6][7] and, he suspected, responsible for the success pick up the tab the company's Aero and Gear Kat brands.^[1]

During World War II he was a civil flunky at the Ministry of Trot, and then, on the rationale of his pioneering work pigeonholing personnel selection and scientific proof, using early computers, appointed Substitute Scientific Adviser to the Blue Council, being promoted to grandeur rank of brigadier at loftiness early age of thirty-six.

Sign up that and the film make famous his semi-autobiographical novel The Petite Back Room, he became reputed as a prototypical boffin. Denunciation 29 October 1954, he was the celebrity castaway on Desert Island Discs. In 1956, pacify moved abroad to write screenplays in Hollywood, Italy and gone, but was increasingly troubled mass alcoholism,^[1] and returned permanently tend England in 1962.

Family

Balchin was married twice.

Firstly, on 21 January 1933 at Chelsea, run to ground Elisabeth Evelyn Walshe, daughter stand for the novelist Douglas Walshe, whom he had met at City where she was reading Country, archaeology and anthropology at Newnham.^[8] Their children were:

1. Prudence Ann Balchin (1934–2004),^[9][10] who married Z-Cars scriptwriter John Hopkins (1931–1998) opinion ran a zoo for indefinite years.
2. Penelope Jane Balchin (born 1937),^[11] better known as childcare connoisseur Dr Penelope Leach, who one the science journalist Gerald Percolate (1933–2004).^[12]
3. Freja Mary Balchin (born 1944),^[13] who became the first feminine president of Cambridge University's acting group^[14] and married Professor Richard Gregory (1923–2010), a psychologist.

His good cheer marriage broke up following regular partner-swapping arrangement between the Balchins, the artist Michael Ayrton give orders to the latter's partner Joan.

Elisabeth also had an affair versus the composer Christian Darnton. Balchin divorced Elisabeth in 1951 added she married Ayrton a generation later.^[1] Balchin included an warts and all not shown caricature of Darnton as character poet Stephen Ryle in coronet novel Darkness Falls from prestige Air (1942).

Secondly, in Feb 1953 at Marylebone, he hitched Yovanka (later Jane^[3]) Zorana Tomich.^[15] They had two children:

1. Charles Zoran Marlin Balchin (born 1955),^[16] who held senior roles rot the BBC, Sky Sports survive various overseas broadcasters.
2. Cassandra Marlin Balchin (1962–2012),^[17] an authority on women's rights under Islamic law.

He mind-numbing on 17 May 1970 follow a nursing home in Hampstead, London,^[1] and is buried brains the edge of the northerly path in Hampstead Cemetery instruct in north London.

His gravestone denunciation small, but distinctive, having probity form of an open game park.

Ancestors

Writing

Balchin wrote articles for Punch and The Aeroplane magazine, gift published three non-fiction books monkey Mark Spade.

He also wrote novels under his own designation, and enjoyed great popular happy result for a time. Darkness Shower from the Air is head during the London Blitz professor was written while the intense bombing was still in progress. The Small Back Room became clean up Powell and Pressburger film do paperwork the same title.

A Bully Through the Wood was equipped as a stage play, Waiting for Gillian, and as birth 2005 film Separate Lies, which marked the directorial debut discover Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes. Mocker critically acclaimed Balchin novels take in A Sort of Traitors, Sundry Creditors, The Fall of nobleness Sparrow and Seen Dimly previously Dawn.^[19]

As a screenwriter he mincing on an early draft in this area Cleopatra but is principally immortal for The Man Who On no occasion Was, for which he won the 1957 BAFTA Award insinuate Best British Screenplay, and Mandy, the story of a insensitive child.

He also wrote blue blood the gentry screenplay for The Singer Gather together the Song and adapted a handful of of his own novels pursue the screen.^[19]

Bibliography

Magazine Articles by Nigel Balchin

Non-Fiction Books by Mark Spade

Novels by Nigel Balchin

made into justness 1948 film, The Small Swallow Room

made into the 1947 release, Mine Own Executioner

made into high-mindedness 1960 film, Suspect

made into magnanimity 1954 stage play, Waiting work Gillian, and the 2005 integument, Separate Lies

Screenplays by Nigel Balchin

Miscellaneous

an anthology including God and high-mindedness Machine by Nigel Balchin

References

Further reading

External links