Background
He was born in Auchterarder in Perthshire and attended Glenalmond College.
He was born in Auchterarder in Perthshire and attended Glenalmond College.
His best known novel was his first, Tunes of Glory (1956), which was turned into a well-known film of the same name starring Alec Guinness and John Mills. lieutenant was a realistic work, set in the army just after the Second World War, and drawing to some extent on Kennaway"s own experiences. This was not typical of his later output, some of which was more experimental in nature.
His other works were Household Ghosts (1961), The Mindbenders (1963), The Bells of Shoreditch (1963), Some Gorgeous Accident (1967), The Cost of Living like This (1969) and Silence (1972) - the final two works were posthumous.
A stage adaptation of Some Gorgeous Accident was presented at the Assembly Rooms as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2010. He was also a successful screenwriter.
His films include Violent Playground (1958), Tunes of Glory (1960), The Mind Benders (1963) and Battle of Britain (1969). Kennaway died of a heart attack while driving home to Lechlade, Gloucestershire from London at the age of 40.