William Sansom (1912–76,) born Norman Trevor Sansom, was a British novelist, short-story writer, and travel writer renowned for his richly descriptive prose.
Born in London, he worked in banking and advertising before joining the National Fire Service during World War II. His experiences as a firefighter during the Blitz deeply influenced his writing, leading to his first short-story collection, Fireman Flower (1944.)
Sansom gained recognition for blending realism with the macabre, romance, and comedy. His notable novels include The Body (1949,) A Bed of Roses (1954,) The Loving Eye (1956,) and Goodbye (1966.) His short-story collections include Fireman Flower (1944,) Something Terrible, Something Lovely (1948,) A Touch of the Sun (1952,) Blue Skies, Brown Studies (1960,) and The Marmalade Bird (1973,) featuring “Down at the Hydro,” one of his most acclaimed works.
Beyond fiction, Sansom wrote travel books inspired by his European journeys and explored literary biography with Proust and His World (1973,) a study of Marcel Proust’s life and work.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by William Sansom
A Status symbol is an instrument you clash when you want someone to know you are there.
—William Sansom
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