John King (author)
Encyclopedia
John King is an English novelist who has written a number of books which, for the most part, deal in the more rebellious elements driving the country’s culture. His stories carry strong social and political undercurrents, and his debut The Football Factory was an instant word-of-mouth success. It has sold over 250,000 copies in the UK to date. It was subsequently turned into a play by Brighton Theatre Events, with German and Dutch adaptations following. A high-profile film appeared in 2004. Directed by Nick Love and starring Danny Dyer, DVD sales exceed 1.5m. Two more novels – Headhunters and England Away – develop the themes of alienation and belonging to be found in The Football Factory.
King’s fourth novel – Human Punk – is believed to be his most autobiographical. Set in and around Slough, the title is taken from a song by punk band The Ruts. White Trash, which the author has described as ‘a defence of the NHS’, drew the following praise from Alan Sillitoe, author of Saturday Night And Sunday Morning: ‘Complete and unique, all stitched up and marvellous, the two sides of the equation brought together, realistic yet philosophical.’ Skinheads is set in the same landscapes as Human Punk and White Trash, and while the three books feature different characters, they effectively combine to provide an overview of forty years of British culture in a loose trilogy christened The Satellite Cycle.
The one novel of King’s to be set entirely outside England – The Prison House – is considered his most mature work to date. Brian Keenan wrote: ‘With a brutal imagination The Prison House takes you to a place where angels fear to tread. Go there and be redeemed.’ An album based on the novel, written by King and Price guitarist Leigh Heggarty, and due to feature Dave Ruffy and Segs from The Ruts, has been reported. In 2007, King set up independent publisher London Books with Martin Knight, and their London Classics series has established itself as a focal point for London’s forgotten working-class tradition. King remains with Jonathan Cape, an imprint of Random House, which has published all of his novels.
King’s fourth novel – Human Punk – is believed to be his most autobiographical. Set in and around Slough, the title is taken from a song by punk band The Ruts. White Trash, which the author has described as ‘a defence of the NHS’, drew the following praise from Alan Sillitoe, author of Saturday Night And Sunday Morning: ‘Complete and unique, all stitched up and marvellous, the two sides of the equation brought together, realistic yet philosophical.’ Skinheads is set in the same landscapes as Human Punk and White Trash, and while the three books feature different characters, they effectively combine to provide an overview of forty years of British culture in a loose trilogy christened The Satellite Cycle.
The one novel of King’s to be set entirely outside England – The Prison House – is considered his most mature work to date. Brian Keenan wrote: ‘With a brutal imagination The Prison House takes you to a place where angels fear to tread. Go there and be redeemed.’ An album based on the novel, written by King and Price guitarist Leigh Heggarty, and due to feature Dave Ruffy and Segs from The Ruts, has been reported. In 2007, King set up independent publisher London Books with Martin Knight, and their London Classics series has established itself as a focal point for London’s forgotten working-class tradition. King remains with Jonathan Cape, an imprint of Random House, which has published all of his novels.
External links
- The Book Depository interview
- 3:AM Magazine interview
- Independent review of The Prison House
- Interview with Jay Slayton-Joslin
- London Books website
- The People’s Pledge
- Acid Flashes, White Trash
- Interview with Benjamin Brill
- John King tribute to Joe Strummer
- Spiegel interview, Germany
- Laura Hird website interview
- Human Punk, Obskure, France
- England Should Be Run By John King
- Author Profile, Fantastic Fiction
- The Football Factory at IMDB
- Interview, Repetitive Beat Generation
- John King reviews Hubert Selby Jr, New Statesman
- Charles Shaar Murray reviews Skinheads
- Human Punk review
- Guanda, Italian translations