Although the controversy surrounding him has dwindled since his partial withdrawal from the London theatrical scene, Henry Livings remains one of the most misunderstood of the British playwrights who emerged during the 1950s. Often misrepresented by reviewers as a new Spike Milligan (scriptwriter for the popular Goon Show), Livings defies classification as either an absurdist or an "angry young man," the literary labels sometimes applied to him. With a dozen published titles to his credit and nearly as many produced but unpublished works, Livings merits attention as a voice in the contemporary British theater.

Livings's origins are relatively humble. He was born to working-class parents, George and Dorothy Buckley Livings, at Prestwick, Lancashire. He won a scholarship from the Stand Grammar School to Liverpool University but attended college for only two years, leaving in 1950 before receiving a degree. From there he went on to serve in the Royal...