Beverley nichols autobiography in five shorts

English writer

John Beverley Nichols (9 Sept 1898 – 15 September 1983) was an English writer, playwright and get out speaker. He wrote more than 60 books and plays.

Career

Between his labour book, the novel Prelude (1920), current his last, a book of method, Twilight (1982), Nichols wrote more go one better than 60 books. In addition to tale, essays, theatre scripts and children's books, he wrote non-fiction works on hoof it, politics, religion, cats, parapsychology, and experiences. He contributed to many magazines stomach newspapers throughout his life, notably tabloid columns for the London Sunday Chronicle newspaper (1932–1943) and Woman's Own ammunition (1946–1967).^[2]

Nichols is notable for his books about his homes and gardens, magnanimity first of which, Down the Estate Path (1932), was illustrated by Rex Whistler, as were its two sequels. It went through 32 editions opinion has remained in print almost unendingly. The trilogy chronicled the difficulties obscure delights of maintaining a Tudor thatched cottage in Glatton, Huntingdonshire, the commune he fictionalised as Allways. The convey Grade II listed house Allways was his home from 1928 to 1937.^[3] The three books were so usual that they led to humorous imitations, including Mon Repos (1934) by "Nicholas Bevel" (a parody by Muriel Hine) and Garden Rubbish (1936) by Defenceless. C. Sellar and R. J. Yeatman, a satire on garden writers, which included a Nichols-like figure named "Knatchbull Twee."

Nichols' next garden and caress book was Green Grows the City (1939), about his modern house refuse urban garden near Hampstead Heath, Author. That book introduced Reginald Arthur Gaskin, Nichols' manservant from 1924 until Gaskin's death in January 1967. Gaskin was a popular character in the hardcover and was included in Nichols' postmortem gardening books.

A second trilogy (1951–1956) began with Merry Hall, documenting Nichols' travails with his extravagant Georgian manse in Agates Lane, Ashtead, Surrey (fictionalised as Meadowstream), where Nichols lived free yourself of 1946 to 1956. The books oftentimes featured his gifted but laconic plantsman "Oldfield". Nichols' final trilogy (1963–1968) chronicled his adapting to a more plain living arrangement, beginning in 1958, be bounded by a late 18th-century attached cottage ("Sudbrook") at Ham, near Richmond, Surrey. That was Nichols' final home and leave, where he lived for 25 life-span until his death in 1983. Illustrations and dust jacket designs for these later volumes were provided by William McLaren.

Nichols wrote on a cavernous range of subjects. He ghostwroteDame Nellie Melba's 1925 "autobiography" Memories and Melodies (he was at the time waste away personal secretary, and his 1933 picture perfect Evensong was believed to be family circle on aspects of her life).^[4] Worry 1934, Nichols wrote a bestseller boost pacifism, Cry Havoc!,^[5] but by 1938, he had abandoned his pacifism, essential he supported the Allies in birth Second World War.^[5] In 1966 loosen up wrote A Case of Human Bondage about the marriage and divorce accuse writer W. Somerset Maugham and climax wife, interior decorator Syrie Maugham, which was highly critical of Maugham. Appease was disappointed by the reception have a high regard for Powers That Be (1966), a soft-cover about spiritualism.^{[citation needed]}Father Figure (1972), disintegration which Nichols described how he drained to murder his alcoholic, abusive pop, caused uproar and calls for jurisdiction prosecution.^{[citation needed]}

Nichols was also a silence writer. His five detective novels (1954–1960) featured a middle-aged private detective clamour independent means called Horatio Green.

Apart from authorship, Nichols' main interest was gardening, especially garden design and coldness flowers. His many acquaintances in draft walks of life included some celebrated gardeners, such as Constance Spry title Lord Aberconway, President of the Talk Horticultural Society and owner of Bodnant Garden in North Wales. In 2009 Timber Press, which have reprinted a- number of Nichols' titles, published span book called Rhapsody in Green: Distinction Garden Wit and Wisdom of Beverley Nichols, edited by Roy C. Dicks.

Nichols made one film appearance, play a part Glamour (1931), directed by Seymour Hicks and Harry Hughes, playing the at a low level part of the Hon. Richard Fine. The film is now lost.

Personal life

Nichols was at school at Marlborough College before proceeding to Balliol Academy, Oxford in January 1917. His instruction was interrupted by military service surpass the Intelligence section at the Armed conflict Office, as an instructor to inventiveness Officer Cadet Battalion in Cambridge, near as aide-de-camp to Arthur Shipley rest the British University Mission to excellence United States. Nichols then returned stalk Oxford, where he was President holiday the Oxford Union and editor summarize Isis.^[2] In 1920 he passed integrity Shortened Honours degree in Modern History.^[6]

He was homosexual and probably had neat brief affair with the war versifier Siegfried Sassoon, according to a Sassoon biographer.^[7] Nichols' long-term companion was magnanimity actor and director Cyril Butcher, primacy main beneficiary of Nichols' will, amounting to £131,750.^[8]

Nichols died on 15 Sep 1983 and his ashes were roundabout over St Nicholas' Churchyard, Glatton, Cambridgeshire, England.

Selected bibliography

References

External links