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{{Short description|British author (1943–2024)}}
'''Christopher Priest''' (born [[1943]]) is an English writer, whose notable works include ''[[Inverted World]]'', ''[[Fugue for a Darkening Island]]'' (US title ''Darkening Island''), ''[[The Prestige]]'', and ''[[The Separation]]''.
{{other people|Christopher Priest}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Christopher Priest
| image = Christopher Priest (2019).jpg
| imagesize =
| alt = Christopher Priest in 2019
| caption = Priest in 2019
| pseudonym = John Luther Novak, Colin Wedgelock
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1943|7|14|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Cheadle, Greater Manchester|Cheadle]], [[Cheshire]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2024|2|2|1943|7|14|df=yes}}
| death_place =
| occupation = Writer
| nationality = British
| citizenship =
| education =
| alma_mater =
| period = 1966–2024
| genre = [[Fantasy]], [[horror fiction|horror]], science fiction, [[Slipstream genre|slipstream]]
| subject =
| movement =
| notableworks = {{Plainlist}}
* ''[[Inverted World|The Inverted World]]''
* ''[[The Affirmation]]''
* ''[[The Glamour (novel)|The Glamour]]''
* ''[[The Prestige]]''
* ''[[The Separation (Priest novel)|The Separation]]''
* ''The Islanders''
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Lisa Tuttle]]<br />|1981|1987|end=}}
* {{marriage|[[Leigh Kennedy]]<br />|1988|2011|end=}}
* {{marriage|[[Nina Allan]]|30 September 2023|<!-- Omission per Template:Marriage instructions -->}}
}}
| partner =
| children = 2
| relatives =
| awards = See [[#Awards and honours|below]]
| signature =
| website = {{URL|christopher-priest.co.uk}}
| portaldisp =
}}


'''Christopher Mackenzie Priest''' (14 July 1943 – 2 February 2024) was a British novelist and science fiction writer. His works include ''[[Fugue for a Darkening Island]]'' (1972), ''[[Inverted World|The Inverted World]]'' (1974), ''[[The Affirmation]]'' (1981), ''[[The Glamour (novel)|The Glamour]]'' (1984), ''[[The Prestige]]'' (1995), and ''[[The Separation (Priest novel)|The Separation]]'' (2002).
Many of his works could be classified as [[science fiction]]. Priest's work often features [[unreliable narrator]]s, and thereby raises questions about [[narrative]], [[truth]], and the nature of [[memory]] and [[reality]].


Priest was strongly influenced by the science fiction of [[H. G. Wells]] and in 2006 was appointed Vice-President of the international [[H. G. Wells Society]].
A [[The Prestige (movie)|film]] of his novel ''[[The Prestige]]'' is currently in production by director [[Christopher Nolan]].


==Works==
==Early life==
{{expand section| date= June 2016}}
One of his early novels, ''[[The Affirmation]]'', is about a traumatized man who flips into a delusional world in which he experiences a lengthy voyage to an archipelago of exotic islands. The state of mind depicted in this novel is remarkably similar to that of the delusional fantasy-prone psychoanalytic patient ("Kirk Allen") in [[Robert Lindner]]'s ''[[The Fifty-Minute Hour]]'' or [[Jack London]]'s tortured prisoner in ''[[The Star Rover]]''.
Christopher Mackenzie Priest was born in [[Cheadle, Greater Manchester|Cheadle]], [[Cheshire]], England, on 14 July 1943.<ref name= locus06>{{cite web| url= http://www.locusmag.com/2006/Issues/06Priest.html| title= Christopher Priest: An Unreliable Narrator |date= June 2006 | website= locusmag.com| access-date= 16 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.valancourtbooks.com/christopher-priest.html |title= CHRISTOPHER PRIEST Author biography |website= Valancourt Books |access-date= 20 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.debretts.com/people-of-today/profile/15817/Christopher-McKenzie-PRIEST| archive-url= https://archive.today/20141208204910/http://www.debretts.com/people-of-today/profile/15817/Christopher-McKenzie-PRIEST| url-status= dead| archive-date= 8 December 2014| title= Debretts - Birthdate of McKenzie}}</ref>


As a child, Priest spent some time holidaying in the English county of [[Dorset]]. Here he explored the ancient hillfort of [[Maiden Castle, Dorset|Maiden Castle]], near [[Dorchester, Dorset|Dorchester]], which he would later use as the location for the novel [[A Dream of Wessex|''A Dream of Wessex'']] (1977). He began writing soon after leaving school and was a full-time freelance writer from 1968 on.
Priest also dealt with delusional alternate realities in ''[[A Dream of Wessex]]'' in which a group of experimenters for a British government project are brain-wired to a hypnosis machine and jointly participate in an imaginary but as-real-as-real future in a vacation island off the coast of a Sovietized Britain.


==Awards==
== Career ==
Priest's first story, "The Run", was published in 1966.<ref name= locus06 /> Formerly an accountant and audit clerk, he became a full-time writer in 1968.<ref name= locus06 /> One of his early novels, ''[[The Affirmation]]'', concerns a traumatized man who apparently flips into a delusional world in which he experiences a lengthy voyage to an [[archipelago]] of exotic islands. This setting featured in many of Priest's short stories, which raises the question of whether the Dream Archipelago is actually a fantasy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/10/its-time-christopher-priests-devout-congregation-extended-beyond-sci-fi-enthusiasts/|title=Time is of the essence &#124; 20 October 2016 &#124; the Spectator}}</ref> The state of mind depicted in this novel is similar to that of the delusional fantasy-prone [[psychoanalytic]] patient ("Kirk Allen") in [[Robert M. Lindner|Robert Lindner]]'s ''The Fifty-Minute Hour'', or [[Jack London]]'s tortured prisoner in ''[[The Star Rover]]''.
His novels have won the [[BSFA award]] (three times), the [[Arthur C. Clarke Award]], and the [[World Fantasy Award for Best Novel|World Fantasy Award]].

He has also won the BSFA award for short fiction, and been nominated for [[Hugo Award]]s in the categories of [[Hugo Award for Best Novel|Best Novel]], [[Hugo Award for Best Novella|Best Novella]], [[Hugo Award for Best Novelette|Best Novelette]], and [[Hugo Award for Best Non-Fiction Book|Best Non-Fiction Book]] (this last for his ''The Book on the Edge of Forever'' (aka ''Last Deadloss Visions''), an exploration of the famously-unpublished ''[[Dangerous Visions|Last Dangerous Visions]]'' anthology).
Priest also dealt with delusional alternate realities in ''[[A Dream of Wessex]]'', in which a group of experimenters for a British government project are brain-wired to a hypnosis machine and jointly participate in an imaginary but as-real-as-real future in a vacation island off the coast of a Sovietized Britain.

His later novels include ''[[The Islanders (Priest novel)|The Islanders]]'' (2011), set in the Dream Archipelago, and ''The Adjacent'' (2013), a multi-strand narrative with recurring characters.

Of his narrative's plot twists, Priest told an interviewer in 1995, "my shocks are based on a sudden devastating reversal of what the reader knows or believes."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ansible.uk/writing/cpriest.html|title=Christopher Priest interview (1995)|website=ansible.uk}}</ref>

=== Tie-in work===
Priest wrote the [[tie-in]] novel to accompany the 1999 [[David Cronenberg]] movie ''[[Existenz|eXistenZ]]'', which contains themes of the novels ''[[A Dream of Wessex]]'' and ''[[The Extremes]]''. Such themes include the question of the extent to which we can trust what we believe to be reality and our memories.

Priest was approached to write stories for the 18th and 19th seasons of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. The first, "Sealed Orders", was a political thriller based on [[Gallifrey]] commissioned by script editor [[Douglas Adams]];<ref>{{cite interview| url= http://www.ansible.co.uk/writing/cpriest.html| title= Christopher Priest interview |year= 1995| first= Christopher |last= Priest | interviewer= David Langford| website= Ansible.co.uk| access-date= 16 June 2016}}</ref> it was eventually abandoned due to script problems and replaced with "[[Warriors' Gate]]". The second, "The Enemy Within", was also eventually abandoned due to script problems and what Priest perceived as insulting treatment after he was asked to modify the script to include the death of [[Adric]]. It was replaced by "[[Earthshock]]". Priest received payment while ''Doctor Who'' producer [[John Nathan-Turner]] and script editor [[Eric Saward]] were forced to pen a letter of apology for the treatment of the writer.

A [[The Prestige (film)|film]] of his novel ''[[The Prestige]]'' was released on 20 October 2006. It was directed by [[Christopher Nolan]] and starred [[Christian Bale]] and [[Hugh Jackman]]. Despite differences between the novel and screenplay, Nolan was reportedly so concerned the denouement be kept a surprise that the US publisher's tie-in edition of the book was blocked from using any images from the film itself. <ref>{{cite web| url= https://ansible.uk/writing/random11.html| title= The Grim Grin of Christopher Priest |date= 2009 | website= Ansible.co.uk| author= Langford, David| access-date= 3 February 2024}}</ref>

=== Pseudonyms ===
Priest used the pseudonyms John Luther Novak and Colin Wedgelock, usually for movie novelisations. As well as the ''eXistenZ'' novelization (which undermined the pseudonym by including Priest's biography on the pre-title page), he has novelised the movies ''[[Mona Lisa (1986 film)|Mona Lisa]]'' (as John Luther Novak) and ''[[Short Circuit (1986 film)|Short Circuit]]'' (as Colin Wedgelock).<ref name="sf-encyclopedia.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/priest_christopher|title = Authors : Priest, Christopher : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia}}</ref>. Priest co-operated with fellow British science fiction author [[David Langford]] on various enterprises under the Ansible brand.

=== Other writing ===
Priest wrote for ''[[The Guardian]]'' from 2002, largely obituaries of such figures as [[Robert Sheckley]], [[Stanislaw Lem]], [[Jack Williamson]], [[Diana Wynne Jones]], [[John Christopher]] and many more.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/christopher-priest | title=Christopher Priest | work=The Guardian | access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref>

==Awards and honours==
Priest won the [[BSFA award]] for the best novel four times: in 1974 for ''Inverted World'';<ref name="WWE-1974">{{cite web| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1974 | title = 1974 Award Winners & Nominees| work = Worlds Without End| access-date=17 May 2009}}</ref> in 1998 for ''The Extremes'';<ref name="WWE-1998">{{cite web| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1998 | title = 1998 Award Winners & Nominees| work = Worlds Without End| access-date=29 June 2009}}</ref> in 2002 for ''The Separation''<ref name="WWE-2002">{{cite web| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2002 | title = 2002 Award Winners & Nominees| work = Worlds Without End| access-date=29 June 2009}}</ref> and in 2011 for ''The Islanders''.<ref name="WWE-2011">{{cite web| url = https://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2011 | title = 2011 Award Winners & Nominees| work = Worlds Without End| access-date=3 May 2012}}</ref>

Priest won the [[James Tait Black Memorial Prize]] for Fiction and the [[World Fantasy Award for Best Novel|World Fantasy Award]] (for ''The Prestige''<ref name="WWE-1996">{{cite web| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1996 | title = 1996 Award Winners & Nominees| work = Worlds Without End| access-date=17 May 2009}}</ref>).

Priest won the BSFA award for short fiction in 1979 for the short story "Palely Loitering",<ref name="WWE-1979">{{cite web| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1979 | title = 1979 Award Winners & Nominees| work = Worlds Without End| access-date=17 May 2009}}</ref> and was nominated for [[Hugo Award]]s in the categories of [[Hugo Award for Best Novel|Best Novel]], [[Hugo Award for Best Novella|Best Novella]], [[Hugo Award for Best Novelette|Best Novelette]], and [[Hugo Award for Best Non-Fiction Book|Best Non-Fiction Book]] (this last for ''The Book on the Edge of Forever'' (also known as ''Last Deadloss Visions''), an exploration of the unpublished ''[[The Last Dangerous Visions|Last Dangerous Visions]]'' anthology). ''[[The Space Machine]]'' won the International SF prize in the 1977 [[Ditmar Award]]s [https://web.archive.org/web/20080516165912/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Ditmar1977.html The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1977 Ditmar Awards]. Priest's 1979 essay "The Making of the Lesbian Horse" (published as a [[Novacon]] chapbook) takes a humorous look at the roots of his acclaimed novel ''Inverted World''. He was guest of honour at [[Novacon|Novacon 9]] in 1979 and [[Novacon|Novacon 30]] in 2000, and at the [[63rd World Science Fiction Convention]] in 2005.

In 1983 Priest was named one of the 20 [[Granta|Granta Best of Young British Novelists]]. In 1988 he won the [[Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis]] for ''[[The Glamour (novel)|The Glamour]]'' as Best Foreign Fiction Book.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christopher-priest.co.uk/about/awards-nominations/|title=Awards & Nominations – Christopher Priest|website=www.christopher-priest.co.uk}}</ref>

Between 7 November and 7 December 2007, the [[Chelsea College of Art and Design]] had an exhibition in its gallery Chelsea Space inspired by Priest's novel ''[[The Affirmation]]''. It followed "themes of personal history and memory (which) through the lens of a more antagonistic and critical form of interpretation, aims to point towards an overtly positive viewpoint on contemporary art practice over any traditional melancholy fixation".{{citation needed|date=December 2010}}

==Personal life==
Priest lived in [[Devon]], and later on the [[Isle of Bute]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.buteman.co.uk/news/bute-writers-make-up-half-the-best-novel-nominations-1-4701347|title=Welcome to scotsman.com the best place for Scottish news and features &#124; The Scotsman}}</ref> He was married to writer [[Lisa Tuttle]] from 1981 to 1987, and from 1988 to 2011 to [[Leigh Kennedy]],<ref name="sf-encyclopedia.com"/> with whom he had twins. He later lived with [[speculative fiction]] writer [[Nina Allan]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ninaallan.co.uk/?page_id=20|title = About – the Spider's House}}</ref> until his death, by which time Allan had become his wife.<ref>[http://www.ninaallan.co.uk/?p=6785 Tying the knot] Nina Allan</ref>

He died from [[small-cell carcinoma]] on 2 February 2024, at the age of 80.<ref>[https://www.ninaallan.co.uk/?p=6855 Christopher Priest 1943 – 2024] Nina Allan</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Clute |first1=John |title=Christopher Priest obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/feb/04/christopher-priest-obituary |access-date=4 February 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=4 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Christopher Priest obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/christopher-priest-obituary-death-the-prestige-llm3wd33p |access-date=15 February 2024 |work=The Times |date=15 February 2024}}</ref>


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
===Novels===
*''The Run'', (ss) ''SF Impulse'', May 1966 [Volume 1 Number 3]
*''Indoctrinaire''. London: Faber and Faber, 1970.
*''Conjugation'', (ss) ''New Worlds'', #169 December 1966
*''[[Fugue for a Darkening Island]]''. London: Faber and Faber, 1972. [[John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel|Campbell]] nominee, 1973.<ref name="WWE-1996" />
*''The Ersatz Wine'', (ss) ''New Worlds'', #171 March 1967
*''[[Inverted World|The Inverted World]]''. London: Faber and Faber, 1974. BSFA winner, 1974,<ref name="WWE-1974" /> Hugo Award nominee, 1975.<ref name="WWE-1975">{{cite web| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1975 | title = 1975 Award Winners & Nominees| work = Worlds Without End | access-date=29 June 2009}}</ref>
*''The Match'', (ss) ''Tit-Bits'', 11 November 1967
*''[[The Space Machine]]''. London: Faber and Faber, 1976.
*''Occupation Force'', (ss) ''Tit-Bits'', 25 November 1967
*''[[A Dream of Wessex]]'' (US title ''The Perfect Lover''). London: Faber and Faber, 1977.
*''The Haul'' [with Dick Howett]'', (ss) ''Tit-Bits'', 31 August 1968
*''[[The Affirmation]]''. London: Faber and Faber, 1981. BSFA nominee, 1981.<ref name="WWE-1981">{{cite web| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1981 | title = 1981 Award Winners & Nominees| work = Worlds Without End
*''The Interrogator'', (nv) ''New Writings in SF 15'', editor John Carnell, London: Dobson, 1969
| access-date=29 June 2009}}</ref>
*''The Perihelion Man'', (nv) ''New Writings in SF 16'', editor John Carnell, London: Dobson, 1969
*''[[The Glamour (novel)|The Glamour]]''. London: Jonathan Cape, 1984. BSFA nominee, 1984.<ref name="WWE-1984">{{cite web| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1984 | title = 1984 Award Winners & Nominees| work = Worlds Without End
*''Breeding Ground'', (ss) ''Vision of Tomorrow'', January 1970
| access-date=29 June 2009}}</ref>
*''Double Consummation'', (ss) ''The Disappearing Future'', editor George Hay, Panther, 1970
*''[[Short Circuit (novel)|Short Circuit]]''. Sphere Books, 1986. (Film tie-in novelisation as Colin Wedgelock)
*''Fire Storm'', (ss) ''Quark/#1'', editor Samuel R. Delany & Marilyn Hacker, Paperback Library, 1970
*''Mona Lisa''. Sphere Books, 1986. (Film tie-in novelisation as John Luther Novak)
*''Nothing Like the Sun'', (ss) ''Vision of Tomorrow #10'', July 1970
*''The Quiet Woman''. London: Bloomsbury, 1990.
*''Indoctrinaire'', (n.) Faber and Faber, London, 1970
*''[[The Prestige]]''. London: Simon and Schuster, 1995. BSFA nominee, 1995;<ref name="WWE-1995">{{cite web| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1995 | title = 1995 Award Winners & Nominees| work = Worlds Without End| access-date=29 June 2009}}</ref> World Fantasy Award winner, [[James Tait Black Memorial Prize]] winner, Clarke Awards nominee, 1996.<ref name="WWE-1996"/>
*''Real-Time World'', (nv) ''New Writings in SF 19'', editor John Carnel, London: Dobson, 1971
*''[[The Extremes]]''. London: Simon and Schuster, 1998. BSFA winner, 1998;<ref name="WWE-1998"/> Clarke Award nominee, 1999.<ref name="WWE-1999">{{cite web| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1999 | title = 1999 Award Winners & Nominees| work = Worlds Without End| access-date=29 June 2009}}</ref>
*''Sentence in Binary Code'', (ss) ''Fantastic'', August 1971
*''[[Existenz#Novelizations|eXistenZ]]''. Harper, 1999. (Film tie-in novelisation)
*''The Head and the Hand'', (ss) ''New Worlds Quarterly 3'', editor Michael Moorcock, London: Sphere, 1972
*''[[The Separation (Priest novel)|The Separation]]''. Scribner, 2002. [[Old Earth Books]] 2005—BSFA winner, 2002;<ref name="WWE-2002"/> Clarke Award winner, Campbell Award nominee, Sidewise Award nominee, 2003.<ref name="WWE-2003">{{cite web| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2003 | title = 2003 Award Winners & Nominees| work = Worlds Without End
*''The Inverted World'', (nv) ''New Writings in SF 22'', editor Kenneth Bulmer, London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1973
| access-date=29 June 2009}}</ref>
*''Fugue for a Darkening Island'', (n.) Faber and Faber, London, 1973
*''[[The Islanders (Priest novel)|The Islanders]]''. Gollancz, 2011. BSFA winner, 2011; Campbell Award winner, 2012.
*''Transplant'', (ss) ''Worlds of If'', January/February 1974
*''The Adjacent''. Gollancz, 20 June 2013.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://upcoming4.me/news/book-news/christopher-priest-the-adjacent-cover-art-and-synopsis-reveal | title = Christopher Priest – The Adjacent cover art and synopsis reveal | work = Upcoming4.me | access-date = 23 January 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130928044206/http://upcoming4.me/news/book-news/christopher-priest-the-adjacent-cover-art-and-synopsis-reveal | archive-date = 28 September 2013 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>
*''A Woman Naked'', (ss) ''Science Fiction Monthly'', v1 #1 1974
*''The Gradual''. Gollancz, 2016.
*''The Invisible Men'', (ss) ''Stopwatch'', editor George Hay, New English Library, 1974
*''An American Story''. Gollancz, 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/nov/01/american-story-christopher-priest-review-911-new-york-attacks-fake-news|title=An American Story by Christopher Priest review – quiet, gripping 9/11 masterpiece|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=November 2018}}</ref>
*''Inverted World'', (n.) Faber and Faber, London, 1974
*''The Evidence''. Gollancz, 2020.
*''Men of Good Value'', (ss) ''New Writings in SF 26'', editor Kenneth Bulmer, London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1975
*''Expect Me Tomorrow''. Gollancz, 2022.
*''The Space Machine'', (n.) Faber and Faber, London, 1976
*''Airside''. Gollancz, 2023.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.gollancz.co.uk/titles/christopher-priest/airside/9781399608831/|title=Airside|date=25 November 2022|isbn=9781399608831 |via=www.gollancz.co.uk |last1=Priest |first1=Christopher |publisher=Orion Publishing Group, Limited }}</ref>
*''A Dream of Wessex'' (US title ''The Perfect Lover''), (n.) Faber and Faber, London, 1977
*''The Cremation'', (nv) ''Andromeda 3'', editor Peter Weston, London: Futura, 1978
*''The Negation'', (nv) ''Anticipations'', editor Christopher Priest, Scribner's, 1978
*''The Watched'', (na) ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', April 1978
*''Whores'', (ss) ''New Dimensions 8'', editor Robert Silverberg, Harper & Row, 1978
*''Palely Loitering'', (nv) ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'', January 1979
*''The Agent'' (with David Redd), (nv) ''Aries 1'', editor John Grant, David & Charles, 1979
*''The Miraculous Cairn'', (nv) ''New Terrors #2'', editor Ramsey Campbell, London: Pan, 1980
*''The Affirmation'', (n.) Faber and Faber, London, 1981
*''The Glamour'', (n.) Jonathan Cape, London, 1984
*''The Ament'', (nv) ''Seven Deadly Sins: A Collection of New Fiction'', editor anon., Severn House, London 1985
*''The Quiet Woman'', (n.) Bloombury, London, 1990
*''The Book on the Edge of Forever'', (n.f.) Fantagraphics, Seattle, June 1993
*''In a Flash'' (from ''The Prestige''), (ex) ''Interzone'', #99 September 1995
*''The Prestige'', (n.) Touchstone, Simon and Schuster, London, 1995
*''Impasse'', (sss) ''SF Impulse'', #12, February 1997
*''I, Haruspex'', (ss) ''The Third Alternative'', #16 1998
*''The Extremes'', (n.) Simon and Schuster, London, 1998
*''The Equatorial Moment'', (ss) ''The Dream Archipelago'', Earthlight, 1999
*''eXistenZ'', (n.) Harper, 1999
*''The Cage of Chrome'', (sss) ''Interzone'', #156 June 2000
*''The Discharge'', (ss) [http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/priest/ SciFi.com Website] 13th February 2002
*''The Separation'', (n) Scribner, 2002


===Short story collections===
==Trivia==
*''Real-time World''. Faber and Faber, 1975. Reissued 2009.
[[Christopher Priest (comic book writer)|Comic writer Jim Owsley]] changed his name to Christopher Priest in the mid-1990's, apparently unaware that there was already a successful writer by that name. In order to reduce confusion, the front page of Owsley/Priest's website points to both his and Priest's webpages with a clear delineation of which Priest is which.
*''[[An Infinite Summer]]''. Faber and Faber, 1979. Three stories reissued in ''The Dream Archipelago''.
*''The Dream Archipelago''. Earthlight, 1999. Reissued 2009.
*''Ersatz Wines – Instructive Short Stories'' GrimGrin Studio, 2008. Anthology of early works.
*''Episodes'', Gollancz, 2019.


=== Short story in [[anthology]], also as editor ===
Christopher Priest wrote the tie-in novel to accompany the 1999 [[David Cronenberg]] movie [[Existenz|eXistenZ]], the theme of which has much in common with some of Priest's own novels, most notably A Dream Of wessex and The Extremes.
* ''Anticipations''. Faber and Faber, 1978. {{ISBN|0571112072}} {{OCLC|472695502}} {{ASIN|0571112072}}
:* Watson, Ian. ''Indhold:The Very Slow Time Machine''
:* Sheckley, Robert. ''Is That What People Do?''
:* Shaw, Bob. ''Amphitheatre''
:* Priest, Christopher. ''The Negation''
:* Harrison, Harry. ''The Greening Of The Green''
:* Disch, Thomas M.. ''Mutability''
:* Ballard, J.G.. ''One Afternoon At Utah Beach''
:* Aldiss, Brian W.. ''A Chinese Perspective''

=== Screenplay ===
*''The Stooge''. 2010 or 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.christopher-priest.co.uk/journal/977/the-stooge-online/ |author= Priest, Christopher |date= 30 December 2011 |title= The Stooge online |publisher= Christopher Priest |access-date= 10 July 2013 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130628213327/http://www.christopher-priest.co.uk/journal/977/the-stooge-online/ |archive-date= 28 June 2013 |df= dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title= The Stooge |journal= Back Stage |volume= 53 |issue= 19 |date= 10 May 2012 |page= 32 |quote= Arekita Productions is casting ''The Stooge'', a short film from a screenplay by Christopher Priest... The story follows a downtrodden but determined man seeking work as a magician's assistant who enters the world of a legendary illusionist and a captivating showgirl, and soon realizes that the world of magic reveals more surprises than he could ever have imagined.}}</ref>

=== Selected non-fiction ===
*''Your Book of Film-Making''. London: Faber and Faber, 1974.
*''The Making of the Lesbian Horse''. [[Novacon]] 9 for the [[Birmingham Science Fiction Group]], 1979. Priest attended as the Guest of Honour.
*''The Book on the Edge of Forever''. Seattle: Fantagraphics, 1993.
* "Christopher Priest's Top 10 Slipstream Books". 2003. An essay for London's ''[[The Guardian]]'', listing ten seminal novels of the [[Slipstream (genre)|slipstream genre]], including works by [[J. G. Ballard]], [[Angela Carter]], [[Jorge Luis Borges|Borges]], [[Steve Erickson]], and [[Steven Millhauser]].<ref>{{cite news |last= Priest |first= Christopher |author-link= Christopher Priest (novelist) |title= Christopher Priest's Top 10 Slipstream Books |work= [[The Guardian]] |location= London |publisher= Guardian News and Media |date= 27 May 2003 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/may/28/top10s.slipstream |quote= "Slipstream does not define a category, but suggests an approach, an attitude, an interest or obsession with thinking the unthinkable or doing the undoable. Slipstream can be visionary, unreliable, odd or metaphysical. It's not [[Magic realism|magical realism]]: it's a larger concept that contains magical realism. Some familiar recent slipstream examples: [[Margaret Atwood]]'s novel ''[[The Handmaid's Tale]]'', the films ''[[Memento (film)|Memento]]'' or ''[[Being John Malkovich]]'', the opera ''[[Jerry Springer: The Opera|Jerry Springer]]''. Other novelists who have from time to time carried the slipstream torch include [[Anthony Burgess]], [[Haruki Murakami]], [[Don DeLillo]], [[Gabriel García Márquez]], [[John Banville]], [[John Fowles]], [[Paul Auster]] and [[Dino Buzzati]]." |access-date= 9 June 2014}}</ref>
*"Foreword" to Stephen E. Andrews' and Nick Rennison's ''100 Must-Read Science Fiction Novels''. London: A&C Black Academic and Professional/Bloomsbury Publishing, 2006. {{ISBN|978-0-7136-7585-6}}.
*''The Magic – The Story of a Film''. Hastings: GrimGrin Studio, 2008.
*"''[[La Jetée]]''". Essay in ''Cinema Futura: Essays on Favourite Science Fiction Movies'', edited by [[Mark Morris (author)|Mark Morris]]. PS Publishing, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-84863-095-6}}.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?341231 |author= Von Ruff, Al |title= Publication Listing |website= isfdb.org |publisher= [[Internet Speculative Fiction Database]] |access-date= 9 June 2014}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|em}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.christopher-priest.co.uk/ Christopher Priest's web site]
* {{British Council|christopher-priest}}
* His story [http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/priest/priest1.html "The Discharge"] at [[Sci Fiction]]
* [https://archive.today/20130128024306/http://londoncalling.com/features-placeholder/all-men-are-islands-interview-with-author-christopher-priest/ London Calling Interview with Christopher Priest]
* [http://www.ansible.co.uk/writing/cpriest.html 1995 interview by David Langford,]includes brief summaries and comments by Priest on most of his novels to date.
* {{Isfdb name|336}}
* His story [http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/priest/priest1.html "The Discharge"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509205046/http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/priest/priest1.html |date=9 May 2009 }} at [[Sci Fiction]]
* [http://www.ansible.co.uk/writing/cpriest.html 1995 interview by David Langford], ''[[Ansible (magazine)|Ansible]]'' (includes brief summaries and comments by Priest on most of his novels to date)
* His [http://news.ansible.co.uk/a218-cp.html Guest of Honour speech] at the 2005 [[World Science Fiction Convention]]
* His [http://news.ansible.co.uk/a218-cp.html Guest of Honour speech] at the 2005 [[World Science Fiction Convention]]
*{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.actusf.com/spip/?article3026 Interview de Christopher Priest] in Actusf.com, 2000
* {{IMDb name|1793993}}


{{Christopher Priest}}
[[Category:1943 births|Priest, Christopher]]
{{World Fantasy Award Best Novel}}
[[Category:Living people|Priest, Christopher]]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:English science fiction writers|Priest, Christopher]]
[[Category:English horror writers|Priest, Christopher]]

[[de:Christopher Priest]]
[[fr:Christopher Priest (sf)]]
[[nl:Christopher Priest]]
[[ja:クリストファー・プリースト]]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Priest, Christopher}}
{{UK-writer-stub}}
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:English science fiction writers]]
[[Category:English horror writers]]
[[Category:World Fantasy Award-winning writers]]
[[Category:People from Cheadle, Greater Manchester]]
[[Category:James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients]]
[[Category:20th-century English novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century British novelists]]
[[Category:English male novelists]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]]

Latest revision as of 15:21, 7 April 2024

For other people named Christopher Priest, see Christopher Priest (disambiguation).

Christopher Priest
Christopher Priest in 2019
Priest in 2019
Born(1943-07-14)14 July 1943
Cheadle, Cheshire, England
Died2 February 2024(2024-02-02) (aged 80)
Pen nameJohn Luther Novak, Colin Wedgelock
OccupationWriter
NationalityBritish
Period1966–2024
GenreFantasy, horror, science fiction, slipstream
Notable works
Notable awardsSee below
Spouse
​
​
(1981⁠–⁠1987)​
​
​
(1988⁠–⁠2011)​
​
(m. 2023)​
Children2
Website
christopher-priest.co.uk

Christopher Mackenzie Priest (14 July 1943 – 2 February 2024) was a British novelist and science fiction writer. His works include Fugue for a Darkening Island (1972), The Inverted World (1974), The Affirmation (1981), The Glamour (1984), The Prestige (1995), and The Separation (2002).

Priest was strongly influenced by the science fiction of H. G. Wells and in 2006 was appointed Vice-President of the international H. G. Wells Society.

Early life[edit]

Christopher Mackenzie Priest was born in Cheadle, Cheshire, England, on 14 July 1943.[1][2][3]

As a child, Priest spent some time holidaying in the English county of Dorset. Here he explored the ancient hillfort of Maiden Castle, near Dorchester, which he would later use as the location for the novel A Dream of Wessex (1977). He began writing soon after leaving school and was a full-time freelance writer from 1968 on.

Career[edit]

Priest's first story, "The Run", was published in 1966.[1] Formerly an accountant and audit clerk, he became a full-time writer in 1968.[1] One of his early novels, The Affirmation, concerns a traumatized man who apparently flips into a delusional world in which he experiences a lengthy voyage to an archipelago of exotic islands. This setting featured in many of Priest's short stories, which raises the question of whether the Dream Archipelago is actually a fantasy.[4] The state of mind depicted in this novel is similar to that of the delusional fantasy-prone psychoanalytic patient ("Kirk Allen") in Robert Lindner's The Fifty-Minute Hour, or Jack London's tortured prisoner in The Star Rover.

Priest also dealt with delusional alternate realities in A Dream of Wessex, in which a group of experimenters for a British government project are brain-wired to a hypnosis machine and jointly participate in an imaginary but as-real-as-real future in a vacation island off the coast of a Sovietized Britain.

His later novels include The Islanders (2011), set in the Dream Archipelago, and The Adjacent (2013), a multi-strand narrative with recurring characters.

Of his narrative's plot twists, Priest told an interviewer in 1995, "my shocks are based on a sudden devastating reversal of what the reader knows or believes."[5]

Tie-in work[edit]

Priest wrote the tie-in novel to accompany the 1999 David Cronenberg movie eXistenZ, which contains themes of the novels A Dream of Wessex and The Extremes. Such themes include the question of the extent to which we can trust what we believe to be reality and our memories.

Priest was approached to write stories for the 18th and 19th seasons of Doctor Who. The first, "Sealed Orders", was a political thriller based on Gallifrey commissioned by script editor Douglas Adams;[6] it was eventually abandoned due to script problems and replaced with "Warriors' Gate". The second, "The Enemy Within", was also eventually abandoned due to script problems and what Priest perceived as insulting treatment after he was asked to modify the script to include the death of Adric. It was replaced by "Earthshock". Priest received payment while Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner and script editor Eric Saward were forced to pen a letter of apology for the treatment of the writer.

A film of his novel The Prestige was released on 20 October 2006. It was directed by Christopher Nolan and starred Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. Despite differences between the novel and screenplay, Nolan was reportedly so concerned the denouement be kept a surprise that the US publisher's tie-in edition of the book was blocked from using any images from the film itself. [7]

Pseudonyms[edit]

Priest used the pseudonyms John Luther Novak and Colin Wedgelock, usually for movie novelisations. As well as the eXistenZ novelization (which undermined the pseudonym by including Priest's biography on the pre-title page), he has novelised the movies Mona Lisa (as John Luther Novak) and Short Circuit (as Colin Wedgelock).[8]. Priest co-operated with fellow British science fiction author David Langford on various enterprises under the Ansible brand.

Other writing[edit]

Priest wrote for The Guardian from 2002, largely obituaries of such figures as Robert Sheckley, Stanislaw Lem, Jack Williamson, Diana Wynne Jones, John Christopher and many more.[9]

Awards and honours[edit]

Priest won the BSFA award for the best novel four times: in 1974 for Inverted World;[10] in 1998 for The Extremes;[11] in 2002 for The Separation[12] and in 2011 for The Islanders.[13]

Priest won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction and the World Fantasy Award (for The Prestige[14]).

Priest won the BSFA award for short fiction in 1979 for the short story "Palely Loitering",[15] and was nominated for Hugo Awards in the categories of Best Novel, Best Novella, Best Novelette, and Best Non-Fiction Book (this last for The Book on the Edge of Forever (also known as Last Deadloss Visions), an exploration of the unpublished Last Dangerous Visions anthology). The Space Machine won the International SF prize in the 1977 Ditmar Awards The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1977 Ditmar Awards. Priest's 1979 essay "The Making of the Lesbian Horse" (published as a Novacon chapbook) takes a humorous look at the roots of his acclaimed novel Inverted World. He was guest of honour at Novacon 9 in 1979 and Novacon 30 in 2000, and at the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in 2005.

In 1983 Priest was named one of the 20 Granta Best of Young British Novelists. In 1988 he won the Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis for The Glamour as Best Foreign Fiction Book.[16]

Between 7 November and 7 December 2007, the Chelsea College of Art and Design had an exhibition in its gallery Chelsea Space inspired by Priest's novel The Affirmation. It followed "themes of personal history and memory (which) through the lens of a more antagonistic and critical form of interpretation, aims to point towards an overtly positive viewpoint on contemporary art practice over any traditional melancholy fixation".[citation needed]

Personal life[edit]

Priest lived in Devon, and later on the Isle of Bute.[17] He was married to writer Lisa Tuttle from 1981 to 1987, and from 1988 to 2011 to Leigh Kennedy,[8] with whom he had twins. He later lived with speculative fiction writer Nina Allan[18] until his death, by which time Allan had become his wife.[19]

He died from small-cell carcinoma on 2 February 2024, at the age of 80.[20][21][22]

Bibliography[edit]

Novels[edit]

  • Indoctrinaire. London: Faber and Faber, 1970.
  • Fugue for a Darkening Island. London: Faber and Faber, 1972. Campbell nominee, 1973.[14]
  • The Inverted World. London: Faber and Faber, 1974. BSFA winner, 1974,[10] Hugo Award nominee, 1975.[23]
  • The Space Machine. London: Faber and Faber, 1976.
  • A Dream of Wessex (US title The Perfect Lover). London: Faber and Faber, 1977.
  • The Affirmation. London: Faber and Faber, 1981. BSFA nominee, 1981.[24]
  • The Glamour. London: Jonathan Cape, 1984. BSFA nominee, 1984.[25]
  • Short Circuit. Sphere Books, 1986. (Film tie-in novelisation as Colin Wedgelock)
  • Mona Lisa. Sphere Books, 1986. (Film tie-in novelisation as John Luther Novak)
  • The Quiet Woman. London: Bloomsbury, 1990.
  • The Prestige. London: Simon and Schuster, 1995. BSFA nominee, 1995;[26] World Fantasy Award winner, James Tait Black Memorial Prize winner, Clarke Awards nominee, 1996.[14]
  • The Extremes. London: Simon and Schuster, 1998. BSFA winner, 1998;[11] Clarke Award nominee, 1999.[27]
  • eXistenZ. Harper, 1999. (Film tie-in novelisation)
  • The Separation. Scribner, 2002. Old Earth Books 2005—BSFA winner, 2002;[12] Clarke Award winner, Campbell Award nominee, Sidewise Award nominee, 2003.[28]
  • The Islanders. Gollancz, 2011. BSFA winner, 2011; Campbell Award winner, 2012.
  • The Adjacent. Gollancz, 20 June 2013.[29]
  • The Gradual. Gollancz, 2016.
  • An American Story. Gollancz, 2018.[30]
  • The Evidence. Gollancz, 2020.
  • Expect Me Tomorrow. Gollancz, 2022.
  • Airside. Gollancz, 2023.[31]

Short story collections[edit]

  • Real-time World. Faber and Faber, 1975. Reissued 2009.
  • An Infinite Summer. Faber and Faber, 1979. Three stories reissued in The Dream Archipelago.
  • The Dream Archipelago. Earthlight, 1999. Reissued 2009.
  • Ersatz Wines – Instructive Short Stories GrimGrin Studio, 2008. Anthology of early works.
  • Episodes, Gollancz, 2019.

Short story in anthology, also as editor[edit]

  • Anticipations. Faber and Faber, 1978. ISBN 0571112072 OCLC 472695502 ASIN 0571112072
  • Watson, Ian. Indhold:The Very Slow Time Machine
  • Sheckley, Robert. Is That What People Do?
  • Shaw, Bob. Amphitheatre
  • Priest, Christopher. The Negation
  • Harrison, Harry. The Greening Of The Green
  • Disch, Thomas M.. Mutability
  • Ballard, J.G.. One Afternoon At Utah Beach
  • Aldiss, Brian W.. A Chinese Perspective

Screenplay[edit]

Selected non-fiction[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Christopher Priest: An Unreliable Narrator". locusmag.com. June 2006. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  2. ^ "CHRISTOPHER PRIEST Author biography". Valancourt Books. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Debretts - Birthdate of McKenzie". Archived from the original on 8 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Time is of the essence | 20 October 2016 | the Spectator".
  5. ^ "Christopher Priest interview (1995)". ansible.uk.
  6. ^ Priest, Christopher (1995). "Christopher Priest interview". Ansible.co.uk (Interview). Interviewed by David Langford. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  7. ^ Langford, David (2009). "The Grim Grin of Christopher Priest". Ansible.co.uk. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Authors : Priest, Christopher : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia".
  9. ^ "Christopher Priest". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  10. ^ a b "1974 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  11. ^ a b "1998 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  12. ^ a b "2002 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  13. ^ "2011 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  14. ^ a b c "1996 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  15. ^ "1979 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  16. ^ "Awards & Nominations – Christopher Priest". www.christopher-priest.co.uk.
  17. ^ "Welcome to scotsman.com the best place for Scottish news and features | The Scotsman".
  18. ^ "About – the Spider's House".
  19. ^ Tying the knot Nina Allan
  20. ^ Christopher Priest 1943 – 2024 Nina Allan
  21. ^ Clute, John (4 February 2024). "Christopher Priest obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Christopher Priest obituary". The Times. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  23. ^ "1975 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  24. ^ "1981 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  25. ^ "1984 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  26. ^ "1995 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  27. ^ "1999 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  28. ^ "2003 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  29. ^ "Christopher Priest – The Adjacent cover art and synopsis reveal". Upcoming4.me. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  30. ^ "An American Story by Christopher Priest review – quiet, gripping 9/11 masterpiece". TheGuardian.com. November 2018.
  31. ^ Priest, Christopher (25 November 2022). Airside. Orion Publishing Group, Limited. ISBN 9781399608831 – via www.gollancz.co.uk.
  32. ^ Priest, Christopher (30 December 2011). "The Stooge online". Christopher Priest. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  33. ^ "The Stooge". Back Stage. 53 (19): 32. 10 May 2012. Arekita Productions is casting The Stooge, a short film from a screenplay by Christopher Priest... The story follows a downtrodden but determined man seeking work as a magician's assistant who enters the world of a legendary illusionist and a captivating showgirl, and soon realizes that the world of magic reveals more surprises than he could ever have imagined.
  34. ^ Priest, Christopher (27 May 2003). "Christopher Priest's Top 10 Slipstream Books". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 9 June 2014. Slipstream does not define a category, but suggests an approach, an attitude, an interest or obsession with thinking the unthinkable or doing the undoable. Slipstream can be visionary, unreliable, odd or metaphysical. It's not magical realism: it's a larger concept that contains magical realism. Some familiar recent slipstream examples: Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale, the films Memento or Being John Malkovich, the opera Jerry Springer. Other novelists who have from time to time carried the slipstream torch include Anthony Burgess, Haruki Murakami, Don DeLillo, Gabriel García Márquez, John Banville, John Fowles, Paul Auster and Dino Buzzati.
  35. ^ Von Ruff, Al. "Publication Listing". isfdb.org. Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 9 June 2014.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christopher_Priest_(novelist)&oldid=1217734293"