Colin MacInnes

Notable Works

• City of Spades (1957) MacGibbon & Kee; (1980) Allison & Busby
• Absolute Beginners (1959) MacGibbon & Kee; (1980) Allison & Busby
• Mr Love & Justice (1960) MacGibbon & Kee; (1980) Allison & Busby

About

Colin MacInnes was born in London to singer James McInnes and novelist Angela Mackail Thirkell. Following their divorce, his mother relocated with the children to Australia, where he attended school as Colin Thirkell, the surname of his mother’s second husband. He later reverted to father’s surname McInnes, before changing that to MacInnes. He worked in Brussels from 1930 until 1935 when he studied painting at the London Polytechnic. MacInnes served in British Intelligence Corps in WWII and remained working in occupied Germany after the war. This inspired his first novel, To the Victors the Spoils. On return, worked for BBC Radio, while trying to earn a living from writing.

His novels depict London youth and black communities in 1950s, with City of Spades (1957), Absolute Beginners (1959) and Mr Love & Justice (1960) known as his “London trilogy”. Many of were set in Notting Hill, then a poor and racially mixed area, home to many new immigrants. Openly bisexual, his subjects included urban poverty, racial issues, bisexuality, drugs, anarchy and decadence. His books have been adapted by, or influenced, various writers and artists. Musician Paul Weller’s song ‘Absolute Beginners’ was released as a single by The Jam in 1981. Absolute Beginners was filmed in 1986 by Julian Temple, featuring David Bowie, whose title song was a worldwide hit. City of Spades was adapted for BBC Radio 4 by Biyi Bandele in 2001. Absolute Beginners was adapted for stage in 2007 by Roy Williams for Lyric Hammersmith. Billy Bragg’s albums England, Half English (2002) and Mr Love & Justice (2008) are named after his books. Colin MacInnes was a beneficiary of the RLF as well as a supporter.

Legacy

Himself a beneficiary of the RLF during his career, Colin MacInnes’ gift of Copyright from his literary estate helps the RLF support future generations of writers.