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as 151 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol. John was abandoned by his mother some years later and was placed with The Church of
England Adoption society. After a few unsuccessful adoptions John was placed with a wealthy women who it is recorded had servants who looked after Master John. It was thought it was about this time his name got changed around while living with Lady W as he calls her. This adoption did not work out, so Frank was placed in the care of Dr Barnardo's on 24 March 1937 at Stepney HQ where he stayed for a short time. Frank was then moved to Cardington Abbey Howard House 17 Cardington Road, Bedford on 3 April 1937. This is recorded as a home for children with learning disabilities. One of his teachers wrote, "This lad will never amount to much."
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John Norman was not born within the sound of Bow Bells so was not a true
Cockney sparrow. He was born on 9 June 1930, the illegitimate son of Frank Charles Booth and Beatrice Smith Née Norman, a secretary who worked at the engineering works owned by Frank Smith's father. The place of birth was given
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At Howard House, Bedford Frank had started to settle down but soon found it was time to move to another home, and on 21 August 1941 Frank ended up at
Kingston-upon-Thame s, which by all accounts was not a happy time for Frank. On 8 July 1944 he set off for Goldings together with several other boys,
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While at
Goldings, he tried a few trades but could not master any, most likely due to his limited reading and writing skills, so he ended up in the kitchen. He then requested a transfer to the gardening department. He left Goldings aged 16 on 17 October 1946.
137:, England, in 1930 and was abandoned by his natural parents. After an unsuccessful adoption, he was committed to a succession of children's homes in and around London—the story of which is recounted in his childhood autobiography,
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Released from prison in 1957, he started writing what was to become his best known book. Norman's several accounts of how he came to write are at variance with one another, but within a year of his release, he had published in
112:(1960), but much of the remainder of his work remains fresh and readable. Norman's early success was based in part on the frankness of his memoirs and in part on the style of his writing, which contained both renditions of
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After leaving Dr. Barnardo's, Frank was involved in petty crimes for which he was imprisoned, finally leading to a three-year stretch at Camp Hill Prison on the Isle of Wight.
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141:(1969). After the homes came a succession of petty crimes for which he was imprisoned, finally leading to a three-year stretch at Camp Hill Prison on the
124:"a 'natural' writer of considerable wit, powers of sardonic observation and with a razor sharp ear for dialogue particularly as spoken in the underworld."
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341:(1981)—found Norman back in strong form in a series featuring Ed Nelson, an under-employed Soho private detective with a penchant for
253:(1966) was a collaboration with Jeffrey Bernard whose photographs enlivened Norman's text. Two novels followed in quick succession:
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295:(1975) deals specifically with theatre life in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His last published work of non-fiction was
157:(1969). This time at Goldings would stand him in good stead during the time he would spend on "holiday" in prison.
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which for him turned out to be the most fearsome establishment, recounted in his childhood autobiography
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291:(1972) contains extracts from four of his previously published autobiographical books. A further memoir
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writing the music for the songs. The play transferred to the West End, and Norman won the
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Norman's novels of the 1970s lacked some of the power of his earlier work.
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In 1960, Frank Norman appeared as a contestant on the TV game show "
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reprinted a selection of Norman's early journalism, while
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Norman wrote a draft of what was to become the musical
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magazine a 10,000-word extract from his prison memoir,
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had been playing in London's West End for 14 months.
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241:in the 1950s before imprisonment. His next book
715:20th-century British dramatists and playwrights
480:(1977) (with Tom Keating and Geraldine Norman)
547:"Stepney Causeway London Dr Barnardo's Homes"
320:Who Do They Fink They're 'Aving A Go At, Then
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237:, an autobiographical memoir of his life in
120:in an obituary of Norman wrote that he was
16:British novelist and playwright (1930–1980)
299:written in collaboration with its subject
233:Around the same period Norman was writing
102:His reputation rests on his first memoir,
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199:, Norman's literary success was assured.
575:"Kingston "Dickies" Dr Barnardo's Homes"
725:British male dramatists and playwrights
644:Behind the Van Gogh Forgeries: A Memoir
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183:. Championed at first by the editor of
314:is a rambling novel of East End life;
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666:Jeffrey Bernard, "Mr Frank Norman",
116:speakers and his own poor spelling.
561:"Dr Barnardo's Homes Howard House"
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484:Too Many Crooks Spoil the Caper
331:Too Many Crooks Spoil the Caper
303:, the art forger, and his wife
710:20th-century British novelists
589:"Dr Barnardo's Homes Goldings"
509:Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be
378:aged 50, on 23 December 1980.
364:Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be
326:(1975) is a novel about Soho.
210:. This draft found its way to
208:Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be
109:Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be
77:Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be
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106:(1958), and his musical play
730:People from Clifton, Bristol
647:. iUniverse. pp. 182–.
641:David I. Grossvogel (2001).
472:Down and Out in High Society
324:Down and Out in High Society
322:becomes a critical success.
228:Evening Standard Drama Award
195:, who wrote the foreword to
307:, whom he married in 1971.
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412:The Monkey Pulled His Hair
255:The Monkey Pulled His Hair
230:for best musical in 1960.
448:The Lives of Frank Norman
289:The Lives of Frank Norman
220:Theatre Royal, Stratford
214:who produced it for the
436:Lock'em up and Count'em
281:Lock'em up and Count'em
61:Novelist and playwright
720:British male novelists
460:Much Ado About Nuffink
316:Much Ado About Nuffink
191:, and subsequently by
496:The Baskerville Caper
490:The Dead Butler Caper
374:Frank Norman died of
339:The Baskerville Caper
335:The Dead Butler Caper
202:After the success of
418:Barney Snip – Artist
259:Barney Snip – Artist
89:Geraldine Lucia Keen
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478:The Fake's Progress
466:Why Fings Went West
297:The Fake's Progress
293:Why Fings Went West
245:was a follow-up to
133:Norman was born in
406:Soho Night and Day
376:Hodgkin's lymphoma
329:Three late novels—
251:Soho Night and Day
654:978-0-595-17717-2
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67:Notable work
51:(1980-12-23)
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705:1980 deaths
700:1930 births
394:Stand on Me
360:Bud Collyer
356:Fred Norris
337:(1980) and
301:Tom Keating
287:collection
235:Stand on Me
224:Lionel Bart
34:9 June 1930
694:Categories
533:References
424:Banana Boy
265:Later work
155:Banana Boy
139:Banana Boy
129:Early life
668:The Times
626:28 August
521:Insideout
400:The Guntz
243:The Guntz
185:Encounter
176:Encounter
40:, England
333:(1979),
261:(1968).
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285:Penguin
222:, with
218:at the
135:Bristol
114:cockney
38:Bristol
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370:Death
685:IMDb
649:ISBN
628:2017
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239:Soho
46:Died
31:Born
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