Racy short story by Alan Turing offers glimpse of ‘playful, funny, cheeky’ side
Summary
A newly studied short story written by Alan Turing shows a different side of him, depicting him as playful and open about his sexuality. The story challenges common views of Turing as a lonely and humorless figure, revealing his enjoyment of life and interest in literature.Key Facts
- Alan Turing wrote a short story called "Pryce’s Buoy" after his 1952 arrest for homosexuality.
- The story features characters including a scientist named Alec Pryce, who represents Turing himself, and a working-class sex worker named Ron Miller.
- The story is racy and shows Turing’s playful, funny, and cheeky side, different from the usual serious image.
- Turing was a leading WWII codebreaker and helped develop early computers and artificial intelligence.
- He was chemically castrated after his arrest and died in 1954, with his death officially ruled a suicide.
- The UK government apologized in 2009 for how Turing was treated due to his sexuality.
- The story was difficult to read and had been overlooked but was recently transcribed by a Cambridge literature professor.
- The popular film "The Imitation Game" presents a less accurate and more solitary version of Turing than this new evidence suggests.
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