Douglas Maddon
Encyclopedia
Douglas Maddon is the nom de plume of Northern Irish
author and teacher David McDowell. He is best known for the novel The English Department's Whores published in 2001.
and Merton College, Oxford. He is a staunch believer in Northern Ireland’s status as part of the United Kingdom and was active on the left wing of the Ulster Unionist Party
promoting unfashionable liberal causes such as an end to the Orange connection, friendship with the Irish Republic
and engagement with the European Union
. As a political journalist, he wrote for the Unionist house magazine Ulster Review and Russia
n daily Izvestia
. He was praised in Jonathan Stevenson's 'We Wrecked The Place’ for his ‘guts, inventiveness and panache’.
in England, which appears as Hengistley, and in particular Collyer's College
, which is parodied as Mercier's.
He followed this up with an anticipated second novel, Arson About. The theme this time returned Maddon to his Irish roots with a plot around a group of Belfast men who go on the run to France, believing that they are going to be blamed for a bombing in Dublin. This became cult reading among Northern Ireland football fans after a review by Malachi O'Doherty
in the Belfast Telegraph. Whereas his first novel was in the Tom Sharpe tradition, this was more of a 'ladlit' work, borrowing heavily from Nick Hornby
and, in particular, from his fellow Ulsterman Colin Bateman
.
, Maddon writes into the gutter with genuine anger in order, as he sees it, to hold up a mirror to the stupidity around him.
, where he wrote a satirical play about Old Fettesian Tony Blair.
• He is still writing.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
author and teacher David McDowell. He is best known for the novel The English Department's Whores published in 2001.
Early political career
Douglas Maddon was born into a unionist family. His father was a Presbyterian minister and home was the manse. He was educated at Belfast Royal AcademyBelfast Royal Academy
The Belfast Royal Academy is the oldest school in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a co-educational, non-denominational voluntary grammar school situated in north Belfast. The Academy is one of eight Northern Irish schools whose Headmaster is a member of the Headmasters' and...
and Merton College, Oxford. He is a staunch believer in Northern Ireland’s status as part of the United Kingdom and was active on the left wing of the Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
promoting unfashionable liberal causes such as an end to the Orange connection, friendship with the Irish Republic
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and engagement with the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. As a political journalist, he wrote for the Unionist house magazine Ulster Review and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n daily Izvestia
Izvestia
Izvestia is a long-running high-circulation daily newspaper in Russia. The word "izvestiya" in Russian means "delivered messages", derived from the verb izveshchat . In the context of newspapers it is usually translated as "news" or "reports".-Origin:The newspaper began as the News of the...
. He was praised in Jonathan Stevenson's 'We Wrecked The Place’ for his ‘guts, inventiveness and panache’.
Literary and teaching career
Maddon left Northern Irish political life in the late 1990s for a career as a teacher and writer. The English Department's Whores, his first novel, was acclaimed as a successor to the Tom Sharpe novels. It is certainly in the tradition of the darkly comic English farce, featuring a teacher who, on being made redundant, corrupts her former colleagues into setting up a brothel which is later used to blackmail a prominent politician. This was generally seen as a thinly-veiled satire of life in the West Sussex town of HorshamHorsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
in England, which appears as Hengistley, and in particular Collyer's College
The College of Richard Collyer
The College of Richard Collyer, or Collyer's, is a coeducational sixth form college in Horsham, West Sussex, England.-Admissions:Collyer's serves about 1600 students between 16 and 19 years of age. It offers AS and A-level courses in 45 different subjects, including a selection not taught at other...
, which is parodied as Mercier's.
He followed this up with an anticipated second novel, Arson About. The theme this time returned Maddon to his Irish roots with a plot around a group of Belfast men who go on the run to France, believing that they are going to be blamed for a bombing in Dublin. This became cult reading among Northern Ireland football fans after a review by Malachi O'Doherty
Malachi O'Doherty
Malachi O'Doherty is a journalist, author and broadcaster in Northern Ireland.He is the producer and presenter of the audio blog Arts Talk ....
in the Belfast Telegraph. Whereas his first novel was in the Tom Sharpe tradition, this was more of a 'ladlit' work, borrowing heavily from Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
and, in particular, from his fellow Ulsterman Colin Bateman
Colin Bateman
Colin Bateman is a novelist, screenwriter and former journalist from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland.Born in 1962, Bateman attended Bangor Grammar School leaving at 16 to join the County Down Spectator as a "cub" reporter, then columnist and deputy editor...
.
The themes in Maddon’s work
Maddon’s strength lies in his pungent dialogue and acid descriptions; he is weaker on plots and his female characters are often flimsy. Recurrent themes in his work are the inherent cruelty of relationships, the flawed and often foolish aspects of human beings, especially those with power, and the difficulty of hope. Alcoholism is portrayed with considerable detail, especially in the second novel, and virtually all his characters smoke. Core male characters are wise-cracking, fun-loving and morally ambiguous, if essentially decent. Maddon rails against unkindness, bigotry and violence, and there is always the possibility of redemption for at least some of the characters. An admirer of Jonathan SwiftJonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
, Maddon writes into the gutter with genuine anger in order, as he sees it, to hold up a mirror to the stupidity around him.
Later career
Maddon has recently returned to teaching History, Government and Politics at Fettes CollegeFettes College
Fettes College is an independent school for boarding and day pupils in Edinburgh, Scotland with over two thirds of its pupils in residence on campus...
, where he wrote a satirical play about Old Fettesian Tony Blair.
• He is still writing.