A Cambridge University English literature professor has completed a detailed transcription and analysis of a short story written by Alan Turing, offering what scholars describe as new perspective on the computing pioneer’s character and interests.
The six-page incomplete story, titled “Pryce’s Buoy,” was likely written in late 1952 or early 1953 and has long resided in King’s College Cambridge archives but remained largely overlooked by literary scholars due to difficult handwriting and lack of transcription. The narrative features two characters: Ron Miller, a working-class sex worker, and Alec Pryce, a scientist known for an invention called “Pryce’s buoy.” The Cambridge professor notes that Alec appears to be an autofictional representation of Turing himself.
The scholar argues the story demonstrates Turing’s literary sophistication and humor, challenging widespread perceptions of him as an isolated, humorless figure concerned solely with mathematics and logic. She contends that much public understanding of Turing has been shaped by the 2014 film “The Imitation Game,” which she characterizes as historically inaccurate and presenting an overly simplistic Hollywood portrayal. The story reveals tensions and uncertainties inherent in human encounters, suggesting considerable emotional and creative depth.
Research indicates Turing was influenced by writer Angus Wilson, with clear evidence of borrowed phrases and narrative techniques. The professor also notes that Turing’s documented 1952 summer holiday in Norway, where he engaged in relationships in a socially tolerant environment, further suggests his engagement with life and sexuality despite his prosecution for homosexuality that same year.
The findings, published in the Review of English Studies, are presented as contributing to a more nuanced understanding of Turing beyond his celebrated role in World War II code-breaking and his subsequent persecution.
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