E.F. Benson, As He Was by Geoffrey Palmer

by Geoffrey Palmer

Edward Francis Benson was a member of one of the most elevated but eccentric of Victorian families.If in his hilarious comic novels monsters of egotism crash about in an atmosphere of barely suppressed rage and perversity, some of this at least must be traced to his extraordinary upbringing.This, the first full-length biography of E F Benson shows how in his life as much as in his writing this genial and energetic pagon enjoyed the delicious silliness of human folly.With much new and previously unpublished material Geoffrey Palmer and Noel Lloyd have produced a lively and intimate study of a charming but enigmatic man, whose life-span extended from the end of the Victorian era, through the Edwardian era and into the Georgian era.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first full-length biography of Fred Benson (having known him only as E F Benson all my life, I find it difficult to attribute Fred to him) and it is a most revealing one.

It begins with his family background, and that was quite bizarre, especially consideing that his Dad was Archbishop of Canterbury, and covers his upbringing, also a little odd, his student days, when he was his own man and kept very much to himself, through to his successful writing career and his later friendships, which have to be read about to be fully understood!

Very well researched and emminently readable, there is also a definitive chapter of his works at the end with salient publishing dates, a most useful addition.

All in all a most enjoyable read.