Alan Turing’s Lost Short Story Illuminates His Creative Legacy

Alan Turing is widely known for his pivotal role in deciphering the Nazi Enigma code during World War II, for pioneering foundational concepts of modern computing, and for being imagined by many as actor Benedict Cumberbatch in the 2014 film “The Imitation Game.”

However, fewer are aware that Turing was also a gifted creative writer with a playful streak, according to Sarah Dillon, a Cambridge University English literature professor who has transcribed a short story he penned toward the end of his life.

Until now, Dr. Dillon noted, only niche academic circles were familiar with Turing’s literary output. Excerpts of his handwritten narrative had appeared in various publications and biographies, but the complete manuscript remained largely indecipherable. Her transcription makes the approximately 1,000‑word, unfinished work accessible to a broader audience.

The story, titled “Pryce’s Buoy,” is housed in an archive at Cambridge University. After roughly 1,000 words and six pages, the manuscript ends abruptly with the phrase “Ron wouldn’t.”

Any remaining pages have been lost to history, Dr. Dillon said.

She added that Turing’s public image, partly shaped by “The Imitation Game,” remains only partially understood. “Working on the story has been part of reclaiming a different narrative about Turing,” she said.

In 1952, the mathematician was convicted of homosexuality, which was then illegal in Britain. Rather than receiving a prison sentence, he was subjected to chemical castration through a series of injections of female hormones, and he lost his security clearance for work on British government cryptography.

Dr. Dillon stated that Turing likely composed “Pryce’s Buoy” after his arrest, either in late 1952 or early 1953. The fictional narrative centers on Ron Miller, a working‑class sex worker, and Alec Pryce, a gay scientist celebrated for an invention he developed in his youth.

“Alec’s character is evidently autofictional,” Dr. Dillon remarked in a news release. “He represents Turing himself.”

“Ron caught Alec’s eye and offered a half‑hearted smile. It was sufficient, however.”

Turing died on June 7, 1954, at age 41, from cyanide poisoning. (Britain did not begin moving toward the decriminalization of homosexuality until 1967.)

At the time, his contributions as one of World War II’s most influential code breakers remained classified.

In 2009, the British government issued an apology, with Prime Minister Gordon Brown describing his treatment as “horrifying” and “utterly unfair.”

In 2013, Turing received a pardon from Queen Elizabeth II.

After his death, a coroner concluded that Turing died by cyanide poisoning and that he had taken his own life “while his mind was disturbed.” Since then, scholars have debated whether his death might have been accidental.

“Pryce’s Buoy” offers an alternative perspective on the mathematician during his final years, Dr. Dillon said.

Although he was prosecuted for his homosexuality, he was never ashamed of it,” she said. “He was a proud gay man.”

The story suggests that Turing remained active in travel, relationships, and friendships even after his conviction, Dr. Dillon added.

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