Джон Саймондс: Өмір және шығармалары

English novelist (1914 2006)

John Symonds (12 March 1914, in Battersea, London – 21 October 2006) was an English novelist, biographer, playwright and writer of children's books.

He was the son of Robert Wemyss Symonds and Lily Sapzells. At the age of 16 he moved to London and began educating himself by spending long hours in the reading room of the British Museum. A partial reconciliation with his father resulted in the latter funding research work that John Symonds would later mine for his own novels later in life. His first job was at Hulton Press, where he worked as a journalist on Picture Post and during this period he became friends with Dylan Thomas and Stephen Spender. Being exempted from military service, he helped to edit 'Lilliput' magazine. During this time he had a brief marriage with Hedwig Feurstein.

Symonds was married to his wife Renata for over 50 years. He died on 21 October 2006 and was buried on the east side of Highgate Cemetery. She died in 2007, aged 93. There were two sons: Gabriel, a physician, and Thomas, a publisher, and four grandchildren.

The Great Beast. The Life of Aleister Crowley. London: Rider, 1951. 316pp., illus., with "Notes on the Horoscope of Aleister Crowley" by Rupert Gleadow & 'Bibliography of the Works of Aleister Crowley' compiled by Gerald Yorke.' The Great Beast. The Life and Magick of Aleister Crowley. London: Macdonald, 1971. viii, 413pp.,prt., with "Notes on the Horoscope of Aleister Crowley" by Rupert Gleadow. The King of the Shadow Realm. Aleister Crowley his life and magic. London: Duckworth, 1989. xi, 588pp., with 'Notes on the Horoscope of Aleister Crowley' by Rupert Gleadow. The Beast 666. The Life of Aleister Crowley. London: The Pindar Press, 1997. x, 608pp., with 'Notes on the Horoscope of Aleister Crowley' by Rupert Gleadow. The Magic of Aleister Crowley. London: Frederick Muller, 1958.209pp., illus.

The Stuffed Dog (London: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1967), illustrated by Edward Ardizzone