Bright DayJ.B. Priestley was especially fond of this novel of his: "I am not one for favourites," he wrote in the introduction to the Everyman edition, "and I have always been irritated by questions about my favourite this, that and the other. But if I have a favourite among my novels, it is Bright Day, which I wrote towards the end of the war." The novel was written towards the end of World War II. JBP disclaimed any autobiographical roots in the work, but it is nontheless resonent with his early youth and coincided with JBP's recoil from the commercial film world. Bright Day was the only serious novel that he wrote in the first person. Gregory Dawson, the novel's hero, is a middle-aged film script writer who goes off to Cornwall to complete a script. At his hotel he spots Lord and Lady Harndean, and realizes that they are the Malcolm and Eleanor Nixey he knew when he worked as a clerk in a Bruddersford wool firm. They represent the beginning of the break-up of the bright day which had preceded the year 1914, and thus the story starts to unfold ... |
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afternoon Ah'll Ah'm Ah've Alington arrived asked aunt began Ben Kerry Blatt Brent Bridget Brigg Terrace Broadstone Bruddersford Canal Street César Franck chap course cried Croxton dark drink Eleanor Nixey Elizabeth Elizabeth Earl eyes face feel felt film gave George Adony girls glance gone Greg Gregory Dawson grinning happened Harfner Harndean Harold Ellis heard Hollywood Horncastle Jake Jake West Joan Jock Barniston Joe Ackworth Kerry knew Knott laughed Laura Leaton London looked Mervin minute morning never nice night Oliver once pantomime party play Puckrup remember replied round sample-room Sawley script seemed shouted silly smiling somewhere stared stuff talk tell there's thing thought told tonight took tram turned Uncle Miles W. W. Jacobs Wabley waiting walk What's whisky wonderful wool young