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John Bellairs made his first visit to England in the early 1960s and it's hard to discern at this point whether the overseas holiday sparked his anglophilia or if this "affliction" was already full-blown at that point. British authors like Shakespeare and Dickens dotted his bookshelves and Bellairs, much like his fictional alter ego Professor Childermass, had more than a passing interest in British history, literature, and antiquity.
Bellairs literally immersed himself in British culture when he moved to England – specifically the Bristol area – for six months of 1967. During this visit there was time for sightseeing - key landmarks like Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge and Cabot Tower, the Roman ruins in nearby Bath, and other side trips to Glastonbury, Wells, and, indeed, London. But Bellairs had set aside time on this trip for writing, too. From this "unique atmosphere" came the story of Prospero – first drafts of what would go on to become The Face in the Frost.
Overall Bellairs visited England a half dozen times over a thirty-year period, each undoubtedly influencing his writing. Bits of English history and geography are found nestled into most all of his books, most notably The Chessmen of Doom, the Bristol-based The Secret of the Underground Room, and the Bellairs-Strickland collaboration, The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder.
This breadth of knowledge was so convincingly added that some people have mistakenly referred to him as a British author.
He probably would have gotten a kick out of that.
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| Timeline |
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| 1961 |
First trip to England |
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| 1967 |
Lived in Bristol for six months; began work on The Face in the Frost. |
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| 1975 |
Three-week visit to England. |
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| 1984 |
VisitedEngland twice. |
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| 1986 |
Final visit to England. |
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| 1990 |
The Secret of the Underground Room published, taking Johnny Dixon to Bristol. |
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| Memories |
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| Quotable |
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It is a beautiful historic society and I have never learned to speak another language. I've been there six times and continue to admire the churches, museums and old-fashioned pubs. |
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| Map |
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| Forthcoming.... |
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