In work that spans a half-century, James Hanley depicts situations and characters that reflect the complexity of modern life. His characters, many of whom are from the lower classes, face isolation and loneliness and seek love, acceptance, and self-understanding. While their lives seem to be characterized more by defeat than by triumph, they maintain their dignity and sense of worth in the midst of misfortune. While his early novels are primarily concerned with those whose livelihoods depend on the sea, his later works are set in locales ranging from remote Welsh villages to London.

Born in Dublin on 3 September 1901, Hanley was raised in Liverpool. He became a merchant seaman--his father's occupation--at fourteen; in 1917 he jumped ship at Saint John, New Brunswick, to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force and fight in World War I. Following his military service in France he returned to England for a time, lived in...