Billy Fisher

E1040251

Billy Fisher is the daydreaming, compulsive liar protagonist of Keith Waterhouse’s novel "Billy Liar," known for escaping his mundane life through elaborate fantasies.

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf fictional character
literary character
adaptedIn 1963 film Billy Liar NERFINISHED
1963 stage play Billy Liar
1973 television series Billy Liar NERFINISHED
appearsIn novel Billy Liar
centralThemeInvolves conflict between fantasy and reality
fear of responsibility
working-class aspiration
characterTrait compulsive liar
daydreamer
escapist
immature
indecisive
createdBy Keith Waterhouse NERFINISHED
engagedTo Barbara NERFINISHED
Rita NERFINISHED
escapesTo imaginary country Ambrosia NERFINISHED
fantasizesAbout being a comedian
being a hero
being a scriptwriter
firstAppearance novel Billy Liar (1959) NERFINISHED
genre comic novel character
hasHabit exaggerating events
telling lies
hasImagination elaborate fantasies
hasRelationshipConflictWith Barbara NERFINISHED
Liz NERFINISHED
Rita NERFINISHED
influences later British coming-of-age narratives
liesTo his employer
his fiancées
his parents
livesIn Stradhoughton NERFINISHED
livesWith his parents
loveInterest Barbara NERFINISHED
Liz NERFINISHED
Rita NERFINISHED
nationality English
notableFor unreliable narration through lies
use of fantasy sequences
occupation clerk
portrayedBy Tom Courtenay NERFINISHED
other stage and television actors
protagonistOf Billy Liar NERFINISHED
represents frustrated youth in postwar Britain
settingPeriod mid-20th-century England
worksAt funeral directors in Stradhoughton

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Billy Liar characterIn Billy Fisher