Stan Barstow
Stan Barstow was a British author born in Yorkshire, England, and grew up as the only son of a coal miner. He spent his early career working in engineering firms before shifting his focus to writing in his twenties. Barstow gained recognition with the publication of his novel "A Kind of Loving" in 1960, which not only achieved literary success but was also adapted into a film. He became a full-time writer in 1962, during which he produced a significant body of work, including three collections of short stories, eleven novels, and numerous scripts for radio, theater, and television. His narratives often reflect the lives of ordinary characters in a West Yorkshire mining town, aligning with the realism movement prevalent in his early career. In addition to his writing, Barstow published an autobiography titled "In My Own Good Time" in 2001. He spent most of his life in Yorkshire before moving to South Wales and was known for his candid remarks on the writing and reading landscape.
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Subject Terms
Stan Barstow
Author
- Born: June 28, 1928
- Birthplace: Yorkshire, England
- Died: August 1, 2011
Biography
Born in Yorkshire, England, Stan Barstow was the only son of a coal miner. From age sixteen to his early thirties, Barstow worked in the drawing office and sales department of local engineering firms. In his early twenties he began writing. Some of his early short stories were broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). His second attempt at writing a novel brought success in 1960, when A Kind of Loving was published and was later made into a film. Barstow began writing full time in 1962, producing three collections of short stories, eleven novels, and scripts for radio, theater, and television.
Most of Barstow’s works are set in a West Yorkshire mining town and feature ordinary characters living normal lives. He associates himself with the “realism” movement popular at the time A Kind of Loving, his best-known novel, was published and filmed. His autobiography, In My Own Good Time, was published in 2001. Father of two children, Barstow lived most of his life in Yorkshire, but now resides in South Wales. One of his most widely quoted statements was printed in the Daily Mail in London on Aug. 15, 1989: “The world may be full of fourth-rate writers, but it’s also full of fourth-rate readers.” His own website carries a 2001 version: “There may be a lot of second- and third-rate writers in the world, but there are a hell of a sight more second- and third-rate readers.”