JOHN WYNDHAM is one of the most important and widely read British writers of science fiction. Wyndham began publishing science fiction in the 1930s but it was only after World War II that he gained critical and popular acclaim.

The Day of the Triffids is his most famous book and gave the word ‘triffid’ - a mobile, hunting plant with a lethal sting - to the English language. Although he had already written published fiction, this was the first time he used the name ‘John Wyndham’. Wyndham achieved further success with The Kraken Wakes (also known as Out of the Deeps), The Chrysalids and The Midwich Cuckoos (also known as The Village of the Damned). These carefully crafted stories captured the imagination of the public worldwide and have since become classics of science fiction. Wyndham’s explorations of the social effects of sudden change not only reflect the anxieties of post-war Britain in particular but also possess wider and enduring relevance and popularity.