Booker Prize-shortlisted author David Lodge dies just three years after his wife

His family said they were “very proud” of the writer, known for his plays, memoirs, TV scripts, and books, including Small World and Nice Works which were nominated for the famous literary award. He was 89.

The two novels followed on from his debut campus novel, Changing Places, subtitled A Tale Of Two Campuses (1975), the first in a trilogy series about a fictional university.

He taught in the department of English at the University of Birmingham between 1960 and 1987 before retiring to focus on writing.

In a statement issued by his publisher, Penguin Random House, Lodge’s family said: “It was interesting growing up with David Lodge as a father.

“Colleagues from the University of Birmingham and writers from all over the world visited our home in Birmingham.

“Conversation over the supper table was always lively, our mother Mary very much held her own, meanwhile, David was ready with a reference book to look up something that was being disputed.

“We are very proud of his achievements and of the pleasure that his fiction, in particular, has given to so many people.”

Lodge’s publisher, Liz Foley, said: “It was a true privilege and joy to be David’s publisher and I will miss him very much.

“His contribution to literary culture was immense, both in his criticism and through his masterful and iconic novels which have already become classics.

“He was also a very kind, modest and funny person and I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with him and had the pleasure of enjoying his wit and company over the course of his recent publications.”

Lodge’s wife, Mary, died in January 2022.