Colin MacInnes (1914–1976)
Author of Absolute Beginners
About the Author
Image credit: Courtesy of Allison and Busby
Series
Works by Colin MacInnes
MacInnes Colin 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- MacInnes, Colin
- Other names
- McInnes, Colin (birth)
Thirkell, Colin (childhood) - Birthdate
- 1914-08-20
- Date of death
- 1976-04-22
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK (birth)
Australia (passport) - Country (for map)
- UK
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK (birth)
Australia - Education
- London Polytechnic
School of Drawing and Painting, Euston Road, London, UK - Occupations
- novelist
journalist - Relationships
- McInnes, James Campbell (father)
Thirkell, Angela (mother)
Kipling, Rudyard (cousin)
Baldwin, Stanley (cousin)
Thirkell, Lance (half brother)
McInnes, Graham (brother) (show all 7)
Burne-Jones, Edward (great-grandfather) - Organizations
- BBC Radio
British Army (WWII) - Short biography
- Son of singer Joseph Campbell McInnes and novelist Angela Thirkell, Colin MacInnes was born in London, raised in Australia, and returned to England in 1930. He served the UK in WWII, after which he wrote his first novel, To the Victor the Spoils, and worked for BBC Radio until he could earn a living writing.
He was openly bisexual, and though obviously in love with the city of London, remained relatively realistic about urban life. This is reflected in his writing, which often addresses race relations of the day, urban squalor, and includes frank and realistic depictions of gay and lesbian characters.
Members
Discussions
1914: Colin MacInnes - Resources and General Discussion in Literary Centennials (February 2015)
Reviews
Mr. Love and Justice by Colin MacInnes
Ted Justice, new to the vice squad crosses paths with Frankie Love, new to his profession as a ponce. The novel culminates in a trial. This is the third in the trilogy of MacInnes' London Novels.
"I hit on a plan to weave a story around two contemporary characters that everyone is interested in i.e. the teenagers and the debs... To meet clandestinely in selected spots about the capital... and... comprise a stark revealing portrait of the contemporary scene." The second book in the London Trilogy, this centres on the rise of the teenager in 1950s London. Much more coherent than the film, a very streetwise narrator tours his haunts around London, has many friends and associates, a love of Jazz, a love of Suzette, and a hatred for racism which boils up during the summer he turns 19 years old.… (more)
1 
AChild | 18 other reviews | Sep 8, 2024 |
AChild | 18 other reviews | Sep 8, 2024 | 
Published shortly after Sam Selvon's The Lonely Londoners, I was surprised how similar the two books are. Whereas Selvon's concentrated on the West Indian immigrants in post-World War II London, Colin MacInnes focuses on the arrival of a Nigerian immigrant. I love the accents portrayed in the writing, the differing characters and their relationships, the descriptions of the changing attitudes, and methods of survival.
That was fairly good. It starts off well, told from the point of view of two main characters, a nigerian student in london for a year of study and a newly appointed colonial welfare officer.
The coloured community of 1950s london is a pretty unique setting. As well as nigerians you have gambians, people from trinidad and other caribbean islands, and a number of americans usually visitors, GIs or showbiz types.
However after the initial setup things become a bit episodic or sporadic might be a better descriptor. With its variety of characters it reminds me a lot of [a:Evelyn Waugh|11315|Evelyn Waugh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1357463949p2/11315.jpg], except not funny, then again i don't usually find his stuff all that funny either :P .
Like Waughs novels, by the end there arn't really any likable characters or over-arcing plot, its more just a series of incidents.
The main nigerian character probably comes off the worst until you remember he's 18, which pretty conclusively explains if not entirely excuses his actions ;) .
The book is about race but not really racism. Its surprisingly light on the racism for 1950s but mostly because there are only a few white characters and they're mostly of the very liberal type.
By the end the whole thing just feels a bit slight. Fun and interesting enough but a bit thin.… (more)
The coloured community of 1950s london is a pretty unique setting. As well as nigerians you have gambians, people from trinidad and other caribbean islands, and a number of americans usually visitors, GIs or showbiz types.
However after the initial setup things become a bit episodic or sporadic might be a better descriptor. With its variety of characters it reminds me a lot of [a:Evelyn Waugh|11315|Evelyn Waugh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1357463949p2/11315.jpg], except not funny, then again i don't usually find his stuff all that funny either :P .
Like Waughs novels, by the end there arn't really any likable characters or over-arcing plot, its more just a series of incidents.
The main nigerian character probably comes off the worst until you remember he's 18, which pretty conclusively explains if not entirely excuses his actions ;) .
The book is about race but not really racism. Its surprisingly light on the racism for 1950s but mostly because there are only a few white characters and they're mostly of the very liberal type.
By the end the whole thing just feels a bit slight. Fun and interesting enough but a bit thin.… (more)
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