Johnston, (William) Denis (1901–1984)

Irish dramatist and writer, born in Dublin. His works include the highly successful The Old Lady Says ‘No’ (1929), and The Moon on the Yellow River (1931).

Johnston trained in law at Cambridge, England and Harvard, USA, and in 1925 joined both the English and Irish Bars. His first play, the impressionist piece Shadowdance, was rejected by Lady Gregory, director of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin. However, retitled The Old Lady Says ‘No’, it was a major hit at the city's Gate Theatre in 1929. During World War II he worked as a reporter and producer for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Over the next three decades, Johnston wrote several other dramas. He was also the author of two autobiographical works, Nine Rivers from Jordan (1953), which recounts his experiences as a war correspondent, and The Brazen Head (1977), and a book about Jonathan Swift, In Search of Swift (1959). His daughter is the novelist Jennifer Johnston (1930– ).