Bill Bryson | |
|---|---|
_(Bryson_cropped).jpg) Bryson in 2018 | |
| Chancellor of Durham University | |
| In office 5 November 2005 – 31 December 2011 | |
| Vice-Chancellor | |
| Preceded by | Peter Ustinov |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Allen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William McGuire Bryson (1951-12-08)8 December 1951 (age 73) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Citizenship | United States United Kingdom |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Drake University (BA)[1] |
William McGuire Bryson (/ˈbraɪsən/BRYE-sən; born 8 December 1951) is anAmerican-Britishjournalist andauthor. Bryson has written a number of nonfiction books on topics includingtravel, theEnglish language, andscience. Born in the United States, he has been a resident of Britain for most of his adult life, returning to the U.S. between 1995 and 2003, and holds dual American and British citizenship. He served as the chancellor ofDurham University from 2005 to 2011.[2][3][4][5]
In 1995, while in the United Kingdom, Bryson authoredNotes from a Small Island, an exploration of Britain. In 2003, he authoredA Short History of Nearly Everything. In October 2020, he announced that he had retired from writing books. In 2022, he recorded an audiobook for Audible,The Secret History of Christmas.[6] He has sold over 16 million books worldwide.[7][8]
Bryson was born and raised inDes Moines, Iowa, the son ofBill Bryson Sr., a sports journalist who worked for 50 years atThe Des Moines Register, and Agnes Mary (née McGuire), the home furnishings editor at the same newspaper.[9][10] His mother was of Irish descent.[11] He had an older brother,Michael (1942–2012), and a sister, Mary Jane Elizabeth. In 2006, Bryson publishedThe Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, a humorous account of his childhood years in Des Moines.[10] In 2006Frank Cownie, the mayor of Des Moines, awarded Bryson thekey to the city and announced that 21 October 2006 would be "Bill Bryson, The Thunderbolt Kid, Day."[12]
Bryson attendedDrake University for two years before dropping out in 1972, deciding instead tobackpack around Europe for four months. He returned to Europe the following year with a high school friend, Matt Angerer (the pseudonymous Stephen Katz).[13] Bryson wrote about some of his experiences from the trip in his bookNeither Here nor There: Travels in Europe.
Bryson first visitedGreat Britain in 1973[14] during his tour of Europe[15] and decided to stay after securing a job working in a psychiatric hospital,[16] the now-defunctHolloway Sanatorium inVirginia Water, Surrey. He met a nurse there, Cynthia Billen, whom he married in 1975.[16] They moved to Bryson's hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, in 1975 so Bryson could complete his degree at Drake University.[10] In 1977 they settled in Britain.[17]
He worked as a journalist, first for theBournemouth Evening Echo, eventually becoming chief copy editor of the business section ofThe Times and deputy national news editor of the business section ofThe Independent.
The Brysons moved around the United Kingdom, living in Virginia Water (Surrey), Purewell (Dorset),Burton (Dorset),Kirkby Malham, and the Old Rectory inWramplingham, Norfolk (2003–2013).[18] They currently live in ruralHampshire and maintain a small flat in South Kensington, London.[16] From 1995 to 2003 they lived inHanover, New Hampshire.[19]
Although able to apply forBritish citizenship, Bryson said in 2010 that he had declined a citizenship test, declaring himself "too cowardly" to take it.[20] In 2014, he said that he was preparing to take it and in the prologue to his 2015 bookThe Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes From a Small Island he describes doing so, inEastleigh.[21] His citizenship ceremony took place inWinchester and he now holdsdual citizenship.[16]
While living in the U.S. in the 1990s, Bryson wrote acolumn for a British newspaper for several years, reflecting on humorous aspects of hisrepatriation in the United States. These columns were selected and adapted to become his bookI'm a Stranger Here Myself, alternatively titledNotes from a Big Country in Britain, Canada, and Australia. During his time in the U.S., Bryson decided to walk parts of theAppalachian Trail with his friend Stephen Katz (a pseudonym), about which he wrote the bookA Walk in the Woods. In the 2015 film adaptation ofA Walk in the Woods, Bryson is portrayed byAcademy Award winnerRobert Redford, and Katz byNick Nolte.[22]
In 2003, in conjunction withWorld Book Day, British voters chose Bryson's bookNotes from a Small Island as that which best summed up British identity and the state of the nation.[23] Also in 2003, he was appointed a Commissioner forEnglish Heritage.
Hispopular science book, the 500-pageA Short History of Nearly Everything, explores not only the histories and current statuses of the sciences, but also their humble and often humorous beginnings. Although one "top scientist" is alleged to have jokingly described the book as "annoyingly free of mistakes", Bryson makes no such claim, and a list of some of its reported errors is available online.[24][25]
In November 2006, Bryson interviewed the prime minister,Tony Blair, on the state of science and education.[26] Bryson also wrote two popular works on the history of the English language,The Mother Tongue andMade in America—and, more recently, an update of his guide tousage,Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words (first published asThe Penguin Dictionary of Troublesome Words in 1983). He also released a podcast,Bill Bryson's Appliance of Science, in 2017.
In 2012, Bryson sued his agent, Jed Mattes Inc., inNew York County Supreme Court, claiming it had "failed to perform some of the most fundamental duties of an agent".[27] The case wassettled out of court with confidential terms.
In 2013, Bryson claimedcopyright on an interview he had given nearly 20 years previously, after the interviewer republished it as an 8,000-word e-book.[28][29]Amazon removed the e-book from publication.
In 2004, he won theAventis Prize for best general science book that year, withA Short History of Nearly Everything.[30] In 2005, the book won the European Union'sDescartes Prize for science communication.[30] In 2005, he received the President's Award from theRoyal Society of Chemistry for advancing the cause of the chemical sciences. In 2007, he won the Bradford Washburn Award, from the Museum of Science inBoston, for contributions to the popularization of science.
In 2005, Bryson was appointedchancellor ofDurham University, succeeding the late SirPeter Ustinov.[24][31] He had praised Durham as "a perfect little city" inNotes from a Small Island.
With theRoyal Society of Chemistry, the Bill Bryson Prize for Science Communication was established in 2005.[32] The competition engages students from around the world in explaining science to non-experts. As part of its 350th anniversary celebrations in 2010 theRoyal Society commissioned Bryson to edit a collection of essays by scientists and science writers about the history of science and the Royal Society over the previous three and a half centuries entitledSeeing Further.[33][34]
He was made an honoraryOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contribution to literature on 13 December 2006.[35] In 2007, he was awarded theJames Joyce Award by theLiterary and Historical Society ofUniversity College Dublin. After he received British citizenship, his OBE was made substantive.
In May 2007, he became the president of theCampaign to Protect Rural England.[36][37] His first focus in this role was the establishment of an anti-littering campaign across England. He discussed the future of the countryside withRichard Mabey,Sue Clifford,Nicholas Crane, andRichard Girling at CPRE's Volunteer Conference in November 2007.[22] In 2011, Bryson won the Golden Eagle Award from theOutdoor Writers and Photographers Guild.[38]
In October 2010, it was announced that Bryson would step down as chancellor of Durham University at the end of 2011.[39]
In 2012, he received the Kenneth B. Myer Award, from theFlorey Institute of Neuroscience, in Melbourne, Australia.[40]
On 22 November 2012, Durham University officially renamed theMain Library the Bill Bryson Library for his contributions as the university's 11th chancellor (2005–2011).[41][42] The library also has a cafe named after Bryson's bookNotes from a Small Island.[43]
Bryson was elected an HonoraryFellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2013,[44] becoming the first non-Briton to receive this honour.[45][46] His biography at the Society reads,
Bill Bryson is a popular author who is driven by a deep curiosity for the world we live in. Bill's books and lectures demonstrate an abiding love for science and an appreciation for its social importance. His international bestseller,A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003), is widely acclaimed for its accessible communication of science and has since been adapted for children.
He is a Vice President of theNational Churches Trust.[47]
In January 2007, Bryson was the Schwartz Visiting Fellow at thePomfret School inConnecticut.[48]
Bryson has written the following books:
| Title | Publication date | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Penguin Dictionary of Troublesome Words | 26 April 1984 | Language | Republished, in 2002, asBryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words |
| The Palace under the Alps and Over 200 Other Unusual, Unspoiled and Infrequently Visited Spots in 16 European Countries[58] | January 1985 | Travel | |
| The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America | August 1989 | Travel | |
| The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way (US) /Mother Tongue: The English Language (UK) | 1 June 1990 | Language | Adapted forJourneys in English in 2004 forBBC Radio 4. |
| The Penguin Dictionary for Writers and Editors | 29 August 1991 | Language | Republished, in 2009, asBryson's Dictionary: for Writers and Editors |
| Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe | 1 February 1992 | Travel | Featuring Stephen Katz |
| Made in America (UK) /Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States (U.S.) | 4 July 1994 | Language | |
| Notes from a Small Island | 4 April 1995 | Travel | Adapted for television byCarlton Television in 1998 |
| A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail | 1 November 1997 | Travel | Featuring Stephen Katz and adapted intoa feature film in 2015 |
| Notes from a Big Country (UK) /I'm a Stranger Here Myself (U.S.) | 1 January 1999 | Travel | |
| Down Under (UK) /In a Sunburned Country (U.S.) | 6 June 2000 | Travel | Republished, in 2002, as anomnibus withA Walk in the Woods titledWalkabout |
| Bill Bryson's African Diary | 3 December 2002 | Travel | Travels in Africa forCARE International |
| A Short History of Nearly Everything | 6 May 2003 | Science | Adapted, in 2009, as an illustrated children's edition titledA Really Short History of Nearly Everything |
| The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: Travels Through My Childhood | 17 October 2006 | Memoir | |
| Shakespeare: The World as Stage | 1 January 2007 | Biography | |
| At Home: A Short History of Private Life | 27 May 2010 | History | |
| One Summer: America, 1927 | 1 October 2013 | History | |
| The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island | 8 October 2015 | Travel | |
| The Body: A Guide for Occupants[59][60] | 3 October 2019[59] | Science | Illustrated edition published in 2022; children's editionA Really Short Journey Through the Body published in 2023 |
| The Secret History of Christmas[8] | 22 November 2022 | History | Released as an audiobook |
Bill Bryson OBE: the UK's highest-selling author of non-fiction, acclaimed as a science communicator, historian and man of letters.
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chancellor ofDurham University 2005–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
| Preceded by | President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England 2007–2012 | Succeeded by |
Bill Bryson - selected bibliography | |
|---|---|
| Travel | |
| Language |
|
| Science | |
| Memoir | |
| Biography | |
| History | |
