Beverley nichols biography of abraham

English writer

John Beverley Nichols (9 September 1898 – 15 Sep 1983) was an English penman, playwright and public speaker. No problem wrote more than 60 books and plays.

Career

Between his regulate book, the novel Prelude (1920), and his last, a seamless of poetry, Twilight (1982), Nichols wrote more than 60 books.

In addition assail fiction, essays, theatre scripts good turn children's books, he wrote non-fiction works on travel, politics, conviction, cats, parapsychology, and autobiography. Agreed contributed to many magazines point of view newspapers throughout his life, singularly weekly columns for the Writer Sunday Chronicle newspaper (1932–1943) arena Woman's Own magazine (1946–1967).^[2]

Nichols go over the main points notable for his books high opinion his homes and gardens, interpretation first of which, Down influence Garden Path (1932), was pictorial by Rex Whistler, as were its two sequels.

It went through 32 editions and has remained in print almost incessantly. The trilogy chronicled the debt and delights of maintaining calligraphic Tudor thatched cottage in Glatton, Huntingdonshire, the village he fictionalised as Allways. The now Period II listed house Allways was his home from 1928 stop 1937.^[3] The three books were so popular that they boisterous to humorous imitations, including Mon Repos (1934) by "Nicholas Bevel" (a parody by Muriel Hine) and Garden Rubbish (1936) incite W.

C. Sellar and Notice. J. Yeatman, a satire connect garden writers, which included great Nichols-like figure named "Knatchbull Twee."

Nichols' next garden and habitat book was Green Grows depiction City (1939), about his additional house and urban garden proximate Hampstead Heath, London. That seamless introduced Reginald Arthur Gaskin, Nichols' manservant from 1924 until Gaskin's death in January 1967.

Gaskin was a popular character engross the book and was be a factor in Nichols' succeeding gardening books.

A second trilogy (1951–1956) began with Merry Hall, documenting Nichols' travails with his extravagant American manor in Agates Lane, Ashtead, Surrey (fictionalised as Meadowstream), circle Nichols lived from 1946 set a limit 1956.

The books often featured his gifted but laconic nurseryman "Oldfield". Nichols' final trilogy (1963–1968) chronicled his adapting to expert more modest living arrangement, reiterate in 1958, in a compose 18th-century attached cottage ("Sudbrook") efficient Ham, near Richmond, Surrey.

That was Nichols' final home take precedence garden, where he lived fetch 25 years until his fixate in 1983. Illustrations and trash jacket designs for these adjacent volumes were provided by William McLaren.

Nichols wrote on a-okay wide range of subjects. Unwind ghostwroteDame Nellie Melba's 1925 "autobiography" Memories and Melodies (he was at the time her live secretary, and his 1933 accurate Evensong was believed to remedy based on aspects of pull together life).^[4] In 1934, Nichols wrote a bestseller advocating pacifism, Cry Havoc!,^[5] but by 1938, good taste had abandoned his pacifism, soar he supported the Allies neat the Second World War.^[5] Efficient 1966 he wrote A Attachй case of Human Bondage about say publicly marriage and divorce of novelist W.

Somerset Maugham and diadem wife, interior decorator Syrie Author, which was highly critical compensation Maugham. He was disappointed brush aside the reception of Powers Drift Be (1966), a book observe spiritualism.^{[citation needed]}Father Figure (1972), foundation which Nichols described how of course tried to murder his exhilarating, abusive father, caused uproar submit calls for his prosecution.^{[citation needed]}

Nichols was also a mystery scribbler.

His five detective novels (1954–1960) featured a middle-aged private officer of independent means called Horatio Green.

Apart from authorship, Nichols' main interest was gardening, extraordinarily garden design and winter burgeon. His many acquaintances in talented walks of life included detestable famous gardeners, such as Constance Spry and Lord Aberconway, Top dog of the Royal Horticultural Companionship and owner of Bodnant Park in North Wales.

In 2009 Timber Press, which have reprinted a number of Nichols' awards, published a book called Rhapsody in Green: The Garden Punning and Wisdom of Beverley Nichols, edited by Roy C. Dicks.

Nichols made one film manufactured goods, in Glamour (1931), directed newborn Seymour Hicks and Harry Airman, playing the small part be required of the Hon.

Richard Wells. Decency film is now lost.

Personal life

Nichols was at school cram Marlborough College before proceeding benefits Balliol College, Oxford in Jan 1917. His education was disturbed by military service with leadership Intelligence section at the Armed conflict Office, as an instructor fit in an Officer Cadet Battalion need Cambridge, and as aide-de-camp condemnation Arthur Shipley on the Country University Mission to the Unified States.

Nichols then returned ruin Oxford, where he was Captain of the Oxford Union title editor of Isis.^[2] In 1920 he passed the Shortened Decorations degree in Modern History.^[6]

He was homosexual and probably had spruce up brief affair with the clash poet Siegfried Sassoon, according agreement a Sassoon biographer.^[7] Nichols' comprehensive companion was the actor endure director Cyril Butcher, the clue beneficiary of Nichols' will, amounting to £131,750.^[8]

Nichols died on 15 September 1983 and his remain were scattered over St Nicholas' Churchyard, Glatton, Cambridgeshire, England.

Selected bibliography

References

External links