(William) Denis Johnston (18 June 1901 â€" 8 August 1984) was an Irish
writer. Born in Dublin, he wrote mostly plays, but also works of
literary criticism, a book-length biographical essay of Jonathan
Swift, a memoir and an eccentric work on cosmology and philosophy. He
also worked as a war correspondent, and as both a radio and television
producer for the BBC. His first play, The Old Lady Says "No!", helped
establish the worldwide reputation of the Dublin Gate Theatre; his
second, The Moon in the Yellow River, has been performed around the
globe in numerous productions featuring such storied names as James
Mason, Jack Hawkins, Claude Rains, Barry Fitzgerald, James Coco and
Errol Flynn. Later plays dealt with the life of Swift, the 1916
Rebellion, the pursuit of justice, and the fear of death. He wrote two
opera libretti and a pageant.Johnston was a protégé of WB Yeats and
Shaw, and had a stormy friendship with Seán O'Casey. He was a pioneer
of television and war reporting. He worked as a lawyer in the 1920s
and 1930s before joining the BBC as a writer and producer, first in
radio and then in the fledgling television service. His broadcast
dramatic work included both original plays and adaptation of the work
of many different writers.During the Second World War he served as a
BBC war correspondent, reporting from El Alamein to Buchenwald. For
this he was awarded an OBE, a Mentioned in Despatches and the Yugoslav
Partisans Medal. He then became Director of Programmes for the
television service.
writer. Born in Dublin, he wrote mostly plays, but also works of
literary criticism, a book-length biographical essay of Jonathan
Swift, a memoir and an eccentric work on cosmology and philosophy. He
also worked as a war correspondent, and as both a radio and television
producer for the BBC. His first play, The Old Lady Says "No!", helped
establish the worldwide reputation of the Dublin Gate Theatre; his
second, The Moon in the Yellow River, has been performed around the
globe in numerous productions featuring such storied names as James
Mason, Jack Hawkins, Claude Rains, Barry Fitzgerald, James Coco and
Errol Flynn. Later plays dealt with the life of Swift, the 1916
Rebellion, the pursuit of justice, and the fear of death. He wrote two
opera libretti and a pageant.Johnston was a protégé of WB Yeats and
Shaw, and had a stormy friendship with Seán O'Casey. He was a pioneer
of television and war reporting. He worked as a lawyer in the 1920s
and 1930s before joining the BBC as a writer and producer, first in
radio and then in the fledgling television service. His broadcast
dramatic work included both original plays and adaptation of the work
of many different writers.During the Second World War he served as a
BBC war correspondent, reporting from El Alamein to Buchenwald. For
this he was awarded an OBE, a Mentioned in Despatches and the Yugoslav
Partisans Medal. He then became Director of Programmes for the
television service.
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