Lucky Jim
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Lucky Jim is a comic novel written by Kingsley Amis, first published in 1954. It was his first novel and won the Somerset Maugham Award for fiction.
Lucky Jim is set sometime around 1950 and follows the exploits of the titular protagonist James Dixon, a reluctant lecturer at an English university. It exemplifies the use of a precise but plain-spoken narrative voice.
Dixon is not particularly dedicated to his job, having taken it because he feels that he'd be no use as a schoolteacher and unable to obtain work in any other field. Having made a particularly bad impression he is concerned about being fired, and seeks to gain approval by maintaining good relations with his superior, the tedious Professor Welch, and by attempting to get his article on historical shipbuilding methods published.
In the 1957 British movie version, which was produced and directed by twin brothers John and Roy Boulting, Jim Dixon was played by Ian Carmichael. In a made-for-TV remake of 2003 directed by Robin Shepperd, the role was taken over by Stephen Tompkinson.