William Cooper ( novelist ) Harry Summerfield Hoff ( August 4 1910 - 5 September 2002 ) was an English novelist , writing under the name William Cooper . He was born in Crewe , and educated at Christ 's College , Cambridge . After graduating in 1933 , he was teacher in Leicester , the setting for the 'first ' novel Scenes from Provincial Life ( 1950 ) , which would be the first of five featuring the character Joe Lunn . There followed , in order of writing , Scenes from Metropolitan Life , Scenes from Married Life , Scenes from Later Life and Scenes from Life and Death . However , Metropolitan Life , wrtiten in the mid-50s , remained unpublished until 1982 ( after the death of C. P. Snow in 1980 ) , for legal reasons . Scenes from Life and Death , his last published work , was turned down by Hoff 's publisher Macmillan and was issued by a small independent company . Hoff served in the Signals Branch of Royal Air Force in World War II , and later became a civil servant , associating closely with C. P. Snow , who appears in light disguise as Robert in the Scenes novels . Amongst his appointments he worked for the UK Atomic Energy Commission and the Crown Agents . After retiring he held an academic position . Snow and Hoff evidently discussed the technique of novel writing extensively ; and their books show clear parallels , if not in subject matter , where Hoff took the 'low road' . The theme of habit ( and also illness ) that Snow seems rather consciously to borrow from Proust is used with greater subtlety ; while on the other hand the view of people is perhaps deliberately cruder . Works Trina ( 1934 ) as H. S. Hoff Rhea ( 1935 ) as H. S. Hoff Lisa ( 1937 ) as H. S. Hoff Three Marriages ( 1946 ) as H. S. Hoff Scenes from Provincial Life ( 1950 ) Prince Genji ( 1950 ) play The Struggles of Albert Woods ( 1953 ) The Ever-Interesting Topic ( 1954 ) Disquiet and Peace ( 1956 ) Young People ( 1958 ) Scenes from Married Life ( 1961 ) Shall We Ever Know ? The Trial of the Hosein Brothers for the Murder of Mrs. McKay ( 1971 ) non-fiction You 're Not Alone ( 1976 ) Scenes from Metropolitan Life ( 1982 ) Scenes from Later Life ( 1983 ) From Early Life ( 1990 ) Immortality at Any Price ( 1991 ) Scenes from Life and Death ( 1999 ) Categories : 1910 births | 2002 deaths | English novelists 