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John Whitbourn

Biographical details ( many of them true )

A tenth-generation inhabitant of southern England's 'Downs Country', John Whitbourn is an Archaeology graduate and published author since 1987. His first book, 'A Dangerous Energy', won the 'BBC/Victor Gollancz Fantasy Novel Prize' ( judged by, amongst others, Terry Pratchett ) in 1991. 'Popes and Phantoms' and 'To Build Jerusalem', novels located in his own preferred - and wildly skewed - version of history, followed that success. 'A Dangerous Energy' was deservedly described as 'the first Counter-Reformation science fiction novel' and 'To Build Jerusalem' furthers the story of that alternative history. A third volume in this trilogy, 'The Two Confessions' is now complete. Popes and Phantoms' was published in Russia by 'Mir'.

At the same time Whitbourn has published a steady stream of short stories, including the extensive 'Binscombe Tales' series of supernatural stories set in his ancestral homeland. They were published in collected form as ''Binscombe Tales - Sinister Saxon Stories' and 'More Binscombe Tales - Sinister Sutangli Stories' by the Ash Tree Press in 1998 and 1999.

Whitbourn's works have been described as constructing 'an alternative mythology for Britain', as well as 'wreaking stylish havoc' ( 'Time Out' ) with orthodox English history.

His fifth book, 'The Royal Changeling', ( described as 'surely the first work of Jacobite propaganda for several centuries' ) was published in 1998 by Simon & Schuster's 'Earthlight' imprint, and subsequent years have seen the release of his three book 'Downs-Lord' triptych', namely 'Downs-Lord Dawn' ( 1999 ) , 'Downs-Lord Day' ( 2000 ) and - wait for it ... - 'Downs-Lord Doomsday' ( 2002 ) by the same company.

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A Future obituary

EXTRACT FROM 'THE DICTIONARY OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY'

EDITION OF 2070 AD

WHITBOURN - JOHN : Author and cultural-activist. Born Godalming, south-west Surrey, 1958; died Binscombe, south-west Surrey, 2057. Author of numerous short stories ( first - and now highly prized - collection: 'BINSCOMBE !' 1999 ), novels and non-fictional treatises. Recognised as ( non-participatory ) founding spirit of the SUTANGLI RENAISSANCE [ q.v. ] literary, cultural and - later - political/nationalist movement who took Whitbourn's intertwined Political thesis, history and wild fantasy 'THE KRAKEN WAKES - A HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH ( PEOPLE )' - 2003 AD as their rallying cry and manifesto

For a darker ( and fortunately less celebrated ) side to Whitbourn's political thought, see his 'THE REGIME' ( 2002 ), a masterly and erudite - albeit chilling - revision of Machiavellian statecraft concepts.

In the course of a very modest career in Surrey Local Government as it was then arranged, and in the midst of an apparently idyllic marriage ( for the careers of his twelve children, see below ), Whitbourn succeeded in creating ( or reviving, as he unconvincingly always maintained ) a literature peculiar to Englishness - and South-Eastern or 'Downs-Country' Englishness at that. His work, whilst occasionally over-detached and prolix, contains an astoundingly consistent exuberance of imagination; combining dry, ( or 'pitiless' as he termed it ) humour with profound characterisation and evocation of place. Whitbourn's writings have, on a few occasions, been presented as a direct and conscious sustained radical challenge to the contemporary stifling orthodoxy of the 'liberal establishment' [ q.v. ] : see, for instance, 'LURKING IN THE CELLARS OF BINSCOMBE' by P Grimes, 2005 - but the case remains very much unproven.

His later years were crowned, by his own testimony, by the honorary-Presidency of the Wessex Cantonal Parliament ( 2048 - 2057 ) and the granting to him of the honorary rank of Colonel in the 'Surrey Pumas' regiment of the Wessex militia ( 2049 ).

Two particular life-long interests - in the State of Israel and the Douro region of Portugal led to the writing of two of his finest non-fictional works : 'NO MORE MASADAS' ( 2010 ) and 'ENGLAND'S SECOND DRINK - THE CIVILISATION OF PORT' ( 2015 ) - as well as decorations and high honours from both countries. Whitbourn's well stocked Binscombe cellars were world renowned ( and have been held accountable for the literary silence of his final years ), serving as the fountainhead for his 'VINTAGE & VINTAGE CHARACTER PORTS' ( 2025 ), 'PORT FOR BEGINNERS' ( 2027 ) and 'A BITTER HARVEST - BREWERIES, MICRO-BREWERIES AND BREW-PUBS OF SOUTH-WEST SURREY' ( 2028 ). The last has been especially praised and hailed as a timeless gazetteer and masterpiece of sensual descriptive narrative.

A very belated ( and grudging ) knighthood was declined in 2036.

For essential bibliographic reading, see : 'GREEN BELT GOTHIC' by R Pardoe ( 2004 ), the quirky 'EVEN-HANDED EXTREMISM - THE MAN WHO WAS BEESLEY' by E Griffiths ( 2006 ) and the definitive 'THE WHITE ROSE AND ENGLAND'S GLORY' by A. Slovo ( 2051 ).

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