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John Lanchester

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John Lanchester

John Lanchester, born John Henry Lanchester on 25 February 1962, is a British journalist and novelist whose work often dissects the complexities of modern life, particularly its economic and social undercurrents, with a sharp, often acerbic, wit. He’s the kind of writer who makes you feel slightly uneasy about your own comfortable assumptions, and frankly, that’s precisely the point.

Life

Lanchester’s origins are a bit of a geographical tapestry. He was born in Hamburg, a city that carries the weight of history in its very stones, in West Germany, which, as you know, is now simply Germany. His formative years, however, were spent in Hong Kong, a place that thrives on a peculiar blend of East and West, ambition and pragmatism. This upbringing, a departure from the more conventional English trajectory, likely imbued him with a unique perspective on global currents and cultural intersections.

His education was a more traditional English affair. Between 1972 and 1980, he attended Gresham's School in Holt, Norfolk. One imagines the windswept Norfolk coast did little to soften the edges he was already developing. Following this, he proceeded to St John's College, Oxford, a venerable institution where, one assumes, he honed his intellect while perhaps cultivating a healthy skepticism for established orders.

He is married to historian and author Miranda Carter, a formidable intellect in her own right. Together, they have two children. They reside in London, a city that serves as both a backdrop and a character in many of his narratives, a place of immense wealth and stark poverty, constant change and stubborn tradition. It’s fertile ground for a writer like Lanchester.

In 2002, Lanchester was recognized for his contributions to literature by being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. This isn't a popularity contest; it signifies a certain gravitas, a recognition of enduring literary merit. It means he's not just a flash in the pan, which, given his output, is hardly surprising.

Works

Lanchester’s bibliography is a testament to his versatility. He moves with unsettling ease between novels, memoir, non-fiction, and the sharp, often probing, world of journalism. He doesn't just report; he dissects.

His journalism has graced the pages of some of the most respected publications. He’s a Contributing Editor at the London Review of Books, a place where intellectual rigor is paramount. You'll also find his byline in Granta, The Observer, The New York Review of Books, The Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, and The New Yorker. He also maintains a regular column for Esquire, where he turns his keen eye to the often-baffling worlds of food and technology. It’s a curious pairing, but then again, Lanchester often finds the connections others miss.

Novels:

  • The Debt to Pleasure (1996): This novel, a debut that immediately announced his arrival, snagged the 1996 Whitbread Book Award for First Novel and the 1997 Hawthornden Prize. It presents itself as the life story of Tarquin Winot, a voluble Englishman whose pronouncements on cuisine serve as a gateway into a far more complex and unsettling reality. It’s a masterful exercise in unreliable narration, a journey where the culinary descriptions become increasingly surreal, masking a darker truth about the narrator. He's a monster, yes, but one you might find yourself strangely charmed by, precisely because of his erudition and peculiar justifications. It’s a dangerous sort of charm.

  • Mr Phillips (2000): This work delves into the quiet desperation of Victor Phillips, a middle-aged accountant who has been made redundant but hasn't yet found the words to tell his family. The narrative unfolds over a single day in London, juxtaposing his present observations with recollections of his past, and even venturing into his more taboo preoccupations. It’s a profound exploration of male, middle-class anxieties—money, family, the relentless march of time, and the social obligations that can feel more like shackles.

  • Fragrant Harbour (2002): Set against the backdrop of Hong Kong in the 1980s, this novel weaves together the narratives of three distinct individuals drawn to the island. There’s an ambitious English journalist, a seasoned English hotel-keeper who arrived decades earlier, and a young Chinese man who escaped the mainland as a child refugee. It’s a portrait of a city in flux, a place where past and future collide.

  • Capital (2012): This novel offers a satirical look at London on the cusp of the 2008 financial crisis and the ensuing Great Recession. It chronicles the impact of these seismic economic shifts on the inhabitants of a fictional street in Clapham, a south London suburb. Lanchester tackles contemporary British concerns with his usual unflinching gaze: immigration, the specter of Islamic extremism, the cult of celebrity, and the ever-escalating issue of property prices. The book was compelling enough to be adapted into a three-part TV series for BBC 1 in 2015.

  • The Wall (2019): This novel plunges readers into a dystopian near-future Britain, a land grappling with the consequences of rising sea levels and climate change. A formidable concrete wall encircles the coast, manned by conscripted "Defenders" tasked with keeping out the "Others"—refugees seeking sanctuary. The story is told through the eyes of Kavanagh, a young man beginning his mandatory service on this imposing barrier. Lanchester explores themes of inter-generational guilt, international inequality, the desperate realities of cross-Channel refugee migration, the undeniable impact of climate change, and the insidious nature of slavery. It was recognized by being longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2019.

Memoir:

  • Family Romance (2007): This memoir is a deeply personal account of his mother's life. A woman who, remarkably, walked away from her vows as a nun, changed her name, and fabricated her age, all while concealing these seismic shifts from her husband and son until her death. It’s a story about identity, secrets, and the lengths to which people will go to forge their own path.

Non-fiction:

  • Whoops! Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay (titled I.O.U.: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay outside the UK) (2010): This book serves as a lucid explanation of the 2008 financial crisis for a general audience. Lanchester possesses a rare talent for distilling complex economic concepts into something comprehensible, even if the implications remain unsettling.

  • What We Talk About When We Talk About the Tube: The District Line (2013): A more focused exploration, this work delves into the significance of a specific London Underground line, likely examining its social, economic, and cultural impact on the city.

  • How to Speak Money: What the Money People Say—And What It Really Means (2014): As the title suggests, this book aims to demystify the jargon and coded language of the financial world. Lanchester guides readers through the often-obscure lexicon of finance, revealing the underlying meanings and motivations.

Essays and Reporting:

Lanchester’s essays are where his critical faculties are often most keenly felt. He has a knack for taking a seemingly straightforward topic and turning it inside out, revealing its hidden complexities and uncomfortable truths.

  • He has written extensively on issues of technology and surveillance, including pieces like "The Snowden files: why the British public should be worried about GCHQ" for The Guardian in 2013, a stark warning about the reach of state surveillance.

  • His engagement with Edward Snowden’s revelations highlights his commitment to examining the intersection of privacy, security, and state power.

  • His contributions to the London Review of Books are particularly noteworthy. Articles such as "Unlikeabilityfest," "The robots are coming," "When Bitcoin Grows Up," "You Are the Product," and "After the Fall" demonstrate his consistent focus on the societal implications of technological advancement, economic shifts, and political landscapes. He grapples with the rise of Universal Basic Income, the complexities of Cyber sovereignty and mass surveillance in China, including the infamous fifty-cent army and the Great Firewall. Even his more recent pieces, like "Fraudpocalypse" and "Putting the Silicon in Silicon Valley," continue to dissect the modern condition with his signature blend of insight and dry commentary.

He also penned the introduction to a 2012 edition of J. G. Ballard's novel Empire of the Sun, a writer whose own exploration of societal breakdown and human resilience clearly resonates with Lanchester's own thematic concerns.

Bibliography

Fiction

  • — (1996). The Debt to Pleasure. London: Picador. ISBN 9780330344548.
  • — (2000). Mr Phillips. New York: Viking Penguin. ISBN 9780399146046.
  • — (2002). Fragrant Harbour. Toronto: National Geographic Books.
  • — (2012). Capital. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393082074.
  • — (2019). The Wall. London: Faber & Faber. ISBN 9780571298723. [1] [9]
  • — (2020). Reality and Other Stories. London: Faber & Faber. ISBN 9780571363001. [10] [11] [12]

Non-fiction

  • — (2007). Family Romance. Toronto: National Geographic Books. ISBN 9780771046094.
  • — (2010). Whoops! Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay. London: Allen Lane. ISBN 9781846142857. [13]
  • — (2013). What We Talk About When We Talk About the Tube: The District Line. London: Penguin Publishing. ISBN 9781846145292.
  • — (2014). How to Speak Money: What the Money People Say—And What It Really Means. New York: National Geographic Books. ISBN 9780393243376.

Essays and Reporting