Alan Turing's 'Pryce's Buoy', a long-overlooked six-page short story, has shaken up the public perception of the celebrated codebreaker and computing pioneer, revealing a complex individual with a playful and cheeky side. Transcribed by Professor Sarah Dillon, an expert in English literature at Cambridge University, the incomplete work suggests that Turing was engaging with his experiences and exploring his sexuality through writing in 1952 or early 1953, contrary to the idea of him as a tortured figure withdrawing from life.
The narrative follows two characters: Ron Miller, a working-class sex worker, and Alec Pryce, a celebrated scientist whose invention is the namesake of the story's title. Professor Dillon identifies Alec as an autofictional representation of Turing himself, which makes his desire for 'fun' after work and Christmas shopping all the more poignant. The story's explicit internal monologues, such as Ron's thoughts of potentially earning 'five bob' for '10 minutes', add to its racy and honest tone.
This new perspective directly counters the popular image of Turing presented in media portrayals like the 2014 film 'The Imitation Game', which Professor Dillon argues made numerous historical inaccuracies, contributing to a one-dimensional understanding. She highlights that the film portrayed a 'Hollywood lone hero' who lacked humour and had antagonistic relationships. In stark contrast, the short story presents a man who loved literature, was enjoying life, and felt no shame about his sexuality.
Turing's work at Bletchley Park is credited with potentially shortening the Second World War by up to four years through breaking the German Enigma code. His pioneering research at Manchester University laid foundational groundwork for modern computers and artificial intelligence. The UK government formally apologised for his treatment in 2013, following his tragic death from cyanide poisoning, aged 41, which was ruled as suicide but debated by some as accidental.