Colin Macinnes Biography

British novelist and essayist, born in London, brought up in Australia; he was the son of popular novelist Angela Thirkell. His first novel, To the Victor the Spoils (1950), which chronicled a Field Security unit in occupied Europe, was followed by June in Her Spring (1952), an adolescent love story set in the Australian outback. His best-known work, an informal trilogy about bohemian London, consists of City of Spades (1957), a satirical view of the black immigrant community; Absolute Beginners (1959), about troubled teenagers; and Mr. Love and Justice (1960), an allegorical tale in which a young, over-zealous policeman confronts a sailor turned pimp. Other novels include Westward to Laughter (1969), Three Years to Play (1970), and Loving Them Both (1973). Praised for their gritty realism in his own time, his novels now seem mannered, even romantic. Other works include England, HalfEnglish (1961), a collection of essays; and Sweet Saturday Night (1967), a history of the British music hall.