A Cezanne in the Hedge and Other Memories of Charleston and Bloomsbury

by Hugh Lee (Editor)

The Bloomsbury circle has long preoccupied writers, critics, and the general public alike. For many years its focal point was Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex, home to Vanessa and Clive Bell and Duncan Grant. A Cézanne in the Hedge brings together thirty firsthand reminiscences of the Charleston, vividly and amusingly evoking its creativity—and eccentricity. Childhood memories from Quentin Bell, Angelica Garnett, and Nigel Nicholson are interspersed with appraisals of the work of Bloomsbury members such as Roger Fry, Maynard Keynes, and Virginia Woolf and of their contribution to twentieth-century British art and thought. The finale is a childhood spoof written by Virginia Woolf entitled "A Terrible Tragedy in a Duckpond."

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you already know something about the Bloomsbury group, this book has many interesting anecdotes about, and insights on, the people, the houses, and the art. Pick and choose.

I enjoyed memories of life at Roger Fry's home Durbins. Bloomsbury houses, told by Frances Partridge. The last part of the book covers Charleston, the farmhouse in Sussex, its stories - perhaps the most satisfying.

One of these stories is "A Cezanne in the Hedge," about when Maynard Keynes came to Charleston in 1918 from an art buying expedition to Paris. Quentin Bell tells it well.

I finally got a sense of the appeal of art critic Roger Fry, who died too young. And, learned more about Maynard Keynes, and his continued interest in the younger generation.

The many contributors include the children and members from the Bloomsbury set (like Anne Olivier Bell, who died aged 102 in 2018), and those close to the circle (like Frances Partridge), as well as authors like Drabble and Fitzgerald.

[Sarah Kauthen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A grab bag of essays of mixed quality written by people who lived on the periphery of Bloomsbury. Some of them were insightful little gems, especially the ones by Leon Edel, Frances Partridge and Quentin Bell. Others not so much.

[Cera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice collection of short memoir-y bits about Bloomsbury, most of which were quite interesting, although there were a couple (the detailed breakdown of what paintings were hung where at Charleston) that didn't do much for me.