British novelist and playwright David Storey dies at 83

London

DAVID Storey, a British writer who drew on his experiences as a miner's son, a farmworker, an art student, a professional rugby player and a teacher to create novels and plays that won acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, died here on Sunday. He was 83. A niece, Samantha Storey, said the cause was Parkinson's disease and related dementia.

Though Storey struggled for recognition at first, he went on to win Britain's premier fiction award, the Man Booker Prize, in 1976 for his novel Saville, in which a miner's son breaks away from his background. Two of his novels were shortlisted for the award. Three of his works were named best play by the New York Drama Critics' Circle, all within four years in the 1970s. He also earned two Tony nominations.