The Resume

(October 29, 1905-December 13, 1973)
Born in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom
Birth name was Henry Vincent Yorke
Wrote the novels ‘Living’ (1929), ‘Party Going’ (1939), ‘Loving’ (1945), ‘Back’ (1946), ‘Concluding’ (1948) and ‘Doting’ (1952)

Why he might be annoying:

He described himself in his autobiography as ‘born a mouthbreather with a silver spoon.’
He left Oxford without a degree.
He said he avoided travelling because it ‘interferes with my masturbation.’
He became increasingly reclusive and alcoholic the last 20 years of his life, which he spent ‘unwashed and unshaven, like a vagrant in his own home.’
His books never were best sellers, with the New York Times noting that they ‘slip in and out of print almost unnoticed.’

Why he might not be annoying:

He wrote his first novel while an undergraduate at Oxford.
He served with the Auxiliary Fire Service in London during World War II.
He titled one of his novels ‘Nothing’ so he could use that as an answer when people at parties asked what he had written lately.
He was admired by his fellow authors, including W.H. Auden, Eudora Welty and Anthony Burgess.
Rebecca West said, ‘He was a truly original writer, his prose was fresh minted…. None of it had been said before.’

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 62]
• College Drop Outs
• I Attended Eton
• I Attended Oxford
• I Died in 1973 (Ranked: 68)
• Modern Library's 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century [1998] (Ranked: 89)
• Profiles 38001-38250 (Ranked: 38015)
• Time Magazine's All-Time 100 Novels [Authors]

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying