Life at the Top life in Warley in response to trouble with his children and the self-knowledge of what his life needs. Life at the Top Life At The Top is the third novel by the English author John Braine, first published in the UK by Eyre & Spottiswoode and in the US by Houghton Mifflin & Co. in 1962. It continues the story of the life and difficulties of Joe Lampton, an ambitious young man of humble origins. A 1965 film adaptation of the novel was made starring Laurence Harvey. In September 2012, BBC television finally broadcast a two-part television adaptation of "Room
Siân James (novelist) series, "Calon Gaeth", which won the 2007 Bafta Cymru award for Best Drama/Drama Serial for Television. She translated Kate Roberts's novel "Y Byw Sy'n Cysgu" into English as "The Awakening". In 1958 Siân James married the actor, Emrys James. They lived for a time near Stratford-upon-Avon, where he worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Their four children were William, Owen, Jo and Anna. Emrys James died in 1989. Siân James (novelist) Siân James (born 1932) is a Welsh novelist, academic and translator, who writes in English. James was born near Llandysul in Carmarthenshire, and attended the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.