A Cornish Childhood: Autobiography of a Cornishman

by A.L. Rowse

Autobiography of A. L. Rowse, the distinguished historian and early years in Cornwall at beginning of twentieth century.

Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography, History, Memoir, Biography Memoir

277 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1942

About the author

Alfred Leslie Rowse, CH FBA, known professionally as A. L. Rowse and to his friends and family as Leslie, was a prolific Cornish historian. He is perhaps best known for his poetry about Cornwall and his work on Elizabethan England. He was also a Shakespearean scholar and biographer. He developed a widespread reputation for irascibility and intellectual arrogance.

One of Rowse's great enthusiasms was collecting books, and he owned many first editions, many of them bearing his acerbic annotations. For example, his copy of the January 1924 edition of The Adelphi magazine edited by John Middleton Murry bears a pencilled note after Murry's poem In Memory of Katherine Mansfield: 'Sentimental gush on the part of JMM. And a bad poem. A.L.R.'

Upon his death in 1997 he bequeathed his book collection to the University of Exeter, and his personal archive of manuscripts, diaries, and correspondence. In 1998 the University Librarian selected about sixty books from Rowse’s own working library and a complete set of his published books. The Royal Institution of Cornwall selected some of the remaining books, and the rest were sold to dealers.

Reviews

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was all set for a good time - thick childhood memoir (my favorite kind of book)set in a great time historically...110 pages in, however, and I come to an unusual conclusion - I don't like this man! Something about him sets my teeth on edge. If he were only telling about his life, I would have read on - but he splatters his opinions around over-generously. Somehow I do not care that he considers French culture superior to German. I quit.

[Trevor Hawkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A personal story of Rowse's unlikely journey from a childhood in a working-class milieu in the village of Tregonissey near St. Austell to a distinguished Oxford historian specialising in the first Elizabethan era. Written during WW2 and voicing prejudices in favour of the French and their culture and against the Germans. He admires fellow cornish writer Arthur Quiller-Couch and looks down on 'armchair socialists' who romanticise the working classes. The uphill struggle left its scars, both physical and mental.

[Sabine Surkan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A.L. Rowse pushed past the frequently asked question of nature v. nurture by taking his education upon himself despite his family's distaste for intellectual pursuits. In his autobiography, "A Cornish Childhood," he brings the reader along with him through his adolescence and up to his entry in university. Along the way, he faces questions on religion, intelligence, maturity, and many other things, which he fleshes out so that the reader may make understand his thinking and possibly have insights as well.

While I had some difficulty immersing myself in the story at the beginning, at the end, it got to the point where I would lay in bed wondering about the book to the degree where I would have to get up and read the rest of a chapter before falling asleep. The little stories incorporated throughout the book remind one of a grandfather's tales to his grandchildren in their sweet, nostalgic tone. I also learned more of Cornwall than I had anticipated, and, as I have moved frequently enough as not not grow intimate with my surroundings, it was magical to discover the experience of living one's entire childhood within the confines of a few square miles.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Cornish Childhood: Autobiography of a Cornishman / A. L. (Alfred Leslie) Rowse. Reading this book was a reunion with my youth. That is, it deeply recalled the books of my youth, despite the fact that Rowse was born in 1903 and I was born shortly after the first publication date, 1942. And despite the fact that I am American. The portrayal of the time, the place, the personalities, the values…it’s the literary world I lived in. I recommend it for younger readers as well because Rowse tells a common story of ambition, intellectual joy, and relative impoverishment set in a particular environment, unknown to most.

[Glafira Osypets · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would not say it is boring, but I also cannot say that it is extremely captivating

[S. L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's obvious from this autobiography that Rowse is a historian. He writes in elegant, if embittered, prose about the working class of his childhood, the influences that made his family what they were, and his discovery of another way of life. It's not a kind book; he sees the flaws of his family as well as their strengths - but it is an interesting window into pre-war Cornwall.

[Yooperprof · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rowse (1903-1997) was a prickly Oxford don, a controversialist "character" in university politics for several generations. His memories of a rural childhood are valuable for their Cornish, working-class perspective: a welcome change from the more standard "horrors of public school" memoir. But he _does_ go on!

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating picture of Cornwall in the early 20th century.

If I've a quibble it's his organisation of material, which is into headings such as: village & family and leads to a certain facts appearing more than once....

Nevertheless, well worth reading.

[Andrea Broomfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Cornish Childhood is an extraordinary read for anyone interested in a real-life Jude the Obscure. And, it has a much better outcome. Many might know Rowse as one of the foremost Elizabethan historians of the 20th century, but in this engaging memoir, Rowse takes his readers to his home outside of St. Austell, Cornwall, where he grew up. The son of a china-clayman and shopkeeper, this talented and sensitive boy had very little support when it came to his intellectual gifts and proclivities. He did, however, have a voice that landed him a place in the church choir, and along the way, mentors who recognized his gift, both musical and intellectual. Rowse wanted desperately to go up to Oxford, and one of the most intense chapters involves his struggle to sit exams and to win enough scholarship money to realize his dream. He is of course keenly aware of Thomas Hardy and Jude, and makes many references to both throughout.

More significantly, Rowse reflects on what it means to be Cornish--not merely English. He references food and festivals, attitudes and tastes, as well as the history and settlement of this most distinctive of English shires.

The writing is beautiful, at times funny and at times painfully sad. I highly recommend it.