Efforts at Truth: An Autobiography

by Nicholas Mosley

Nicholas Mosley brings the unblinking probing of a scientist to bear on the workings of the writer’s imagination. The result is a constantly stimulating, frequently startling, and always cheerfully unorthodox autobiography. As a novelist, biographer, editor, and screenwriter, Nicholas Mosley has always been concerned with the central paradox of if by definition fiction is untrue, and biography never complete, is there a form that will enable a writer to get at the truth of a life? In Efforts at Truth Mosley scrutinizes his own life and work, but examines them as a curious observer, fascinated by the constant interaction of reality and the written word. As a life, it has been colorful, in settings ranging from the West Indies to a remote Welsh hill farm, from war action in Italy to battles with Hollywood moguls, from the Colony Room to the House of Lords. In print, the range has been as editor of a controversial religious magazine, author of the acclaimed novel series Catastrophe Practice, screenwriter of his own work with Joe Losey and John Frankenheimer, biographer of his notorious father Oswald Mosley, and, in 1990, winner of the Whitbread Award for his novel Hopeful Monsters. Efforts at Truth, Mosley’s distinctive autobiography, brings together the singular life and intricate mind of an important, multifaceted writer.

Hardcover

First published June 1, 1995

About the author

Nicholas Mosley was educated at Eton and Oxford. He served in Italy during World War II, and published his first novel, Spaces of the Dark, in 1951. His book Hopeful Monsters won the 1990 Whitbread Award.

Mosley was the author of several works of nonfiction, most notably the autobiography Efforts at Truth and a biography of his father, Sir Oswald Mosley, entitled Rules of the Game/Beyond the Pale.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tough one to review. Having read it I'm still not sure about how I feel about Mosley. This is a brutally honest autobiography, but there are so many gaps where I wanted to say; why did you do that?
The elephant in the room of course is Mosley's father Sir Oswald Mosley and his effect on Nicholas, his eldest son is clear. His shadow falls on the book as well.
This is not a conventional autobiography. Mosley is a novelist and writer and he uses his own novels and writing to analyse his own life and loves. He effectively starts the book just after the Second World War at the time of his marraige. It is worth noting that while his infamous father and stepmother were in detention because they were felt to be a threat to the country, Nicholas was in the army and was awarded the Military Cross for bravery whilst fighting in Italy.
Mosley is very honest about his sucesses and failures as a writer; very honest about his marraiges and love affairs. He is honest enough to compare his own attitude to women with that of his father. Mosley senior was notorious for his affairs and flirtations and Mosley describes his own approach as to take any opportunity which came along. Mosley is also very honest about the damage his actions caused to those he loved, serious damage that harmed the mental health of one or two of those involved. He describes what occured, tries to analyse it through his own fiction and pretty much says; I know my behaviour seems inexcusable; this is why I think I behaved this way. He then leaves it up to the reader to make a judgement. Mosley has a good deal of insight into his own behaviour.
Mosley also analyses his struggles with faith, belief and the Church in the 1950s and 60s. Again this is interesting, particularly his links with Mirfield and the Community of the Resurrection; Raymond Raynes and Trevor Huddleston. Both of these men I suspect much better known in South Africa than here because of the Community of the Resurrection's House in South Africa; Huddleston especially because of his bitter opposition to apartheid and support for the ANC. Mosley was at the Community's house in South Africa at the time of the Sharpeville massacre and describes his own recollections of this. However the struggles with faith appear to tail off later in the book and one doesn't really get a sense of how the journey continued.
There is lots to interest here, but there are so many gaps and as I said it is at times it is difficult to like Mosley.
I didn't get the urge to rush out and buy the novels; apart from Hopeful Monsters, which I've already read and is very good. However I may look out his two volume biography of his father.
i still don't quite know how I feel about this. I could easily have given it two or five stars.
Postscript 13.05.13; I have had to come back to this after a decent space of time. When I read it I think I let my feelings about Mosley get in the way of what he was doing in the book. The level of honesty is uncomfortable and the self analysis using his own novels is unusual and on reflection quite brilliant. So much so, that despite saying I wouldn't read any more of his novels, I probably will.