Wilson, Angus (1913-1991), was a British author of novels and satirical short stories. His books deal with the deceptions that occur in human relationships, both public and private. Wilson compiled masses of detail to create a realistic atmosphere.
The heroes of his novels Hemlock and After (1952), Anglo-Saxon Attitudes (1956), and The Middle Age of Mrs. Eliot (1958) are all middle-aged or elderly. They are frustrated, confused, and bogged down in everyday detail. Wilson enlivened these dreary characters with brilliant, witty dialogue and sharp observations on society. His other novels include The Old Men at the Zoo (1961), No Laughing Matter (1967), As If by Magic (1973), and Setting the World on Fire (1980). The Collected Stories of Angus Wilson was published in 1987.
Wilson wrote several literary studies, including The World of Charles Dickens (1970) and The Strange Ride of Rudyard Kipling (1978). His criticism appears in Diversity and Depth in Fiction (1984). His travel essays were published as Reflections in a Writer’s Eye (1986).
Angus Frank Johnstone-Wilson was born on Aug. 11, 1913, in Bexhill-on-Sea, England. Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in 1981, and he became known as Sir Angus Wilson. He died on May 31, 1991.
