Edward Blishen

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Edward Blishen (1920-1996) was an English author. He is perhaps best known for two books: A Cack-Handed War (1972), a story set in the backdrop of the Second World War, and The God Beneath the Sea (1970), a collaboration with Leon Garfield that won the Carnegie Medal.

His autobiography Sorry, Dad is supposed to be based on his time at Queen Elizabeth's, Barnet.

He was a conscientious objector although he came from a long line of soldier ancestors. His father had served in the First World War, from which he returned wounded, suffering from shell shock and silent about his experiences. 'He wasn't sympathetic to pacifists. He felt that if he had fought a war, then I ought to fight a war as well.' But Edward read some of the now-famous books revealing the horrors of the First World War, and realised 'I can't be somebody who does that to someone else'. Registering as a CO was an uncomfortable experience: 'Everybody was declaring themselves at one counter, and there was this other forlorn counter for you to declare you weren't going to join in. It felt as though you were separating yourself from the rest of the world.' [1]

He was a presenter of the BBC Radio 4 programme A Good Read.