Oh, What a Lovely Century: One man's marvellous adventures in love, war and high society

by Roderic Fenwick Owen

For fear of growing up like his stiff-upper-lipped Uncle Dick, Roderic Fenwick Owen (1921-2011) survived Eton, Oxford and the Second World War to become a travel writer, experiencing the varied wonders of the 20th century's people and places in that guise. Frequently finding himself party to crucial historical events (including experiencing Nazi Germany in 1939 and the Pentagon during the Cold War Years), his life featured a stellar cast of characters from Eisenhower and Jackson Pollock to Christopher Lee and Sean Connery.

At the heart of Roddy's writing adventures lay his search for love, even if just for the night. He fell head over heels for, and married a Polynesian princess while beachcombing in Tahiti, but when a dazzling trip to 1950s New York opened his eyes to the fact he was more attracted to men than women, he was forced to continue his quest for his soulmate under threat of danger. This was at a time when the police were prosecuting and imprisoning more gay men than ever before, including some of his friends.

Lyrical, witty and at times jaw-droppingly unbelievable, Oh, What A Lovely Century is both a highly personal memoir and a marvellous obituary of an ever-changing and now lost world - that was frequently the best of times, and sometimes the worst.

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

576 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2021

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

The memoir of a posh gay British man across the 20th century, of which the main takeaway is HE BOINKED SEAN CONNERY. Oh my God.

This could easily have been intolerable as a depiction of a life of incredible privilege (the author constantly refers to himself as hard up for cash while being an Etonian waiting for a whacking inheritance, he's a gay man in pre Wolfenden times who entirely avoided the law, etc). It's not intolerable largely because of the immense likeability of the author, who comes across as the kind of person who'd monologue at you for hours but you wouldn't mind. He also has a strong sense of responsibility, even if in an extremely old fashioned paternalistic way, plus a profoundly relaxed attitude to sex (his only criteria is 'consenting adults', can' argue) and a cheery acceptance of human foibles. It's very long (apparently cut down from 700,000 words, dear god) but it kept me busy through a long flight/train journey very happily. Lots of name dropping, he went to school with Christopher Lee, lodged with Jackson Pollock, and did I mention he boinked Sean Connery.

Basically, if you're interested in the minutiae of life as it was lived by posh gay Brits in the 20s to 60s, with lots of travel, this is great. Falls off a lot once we get into the 70s and after.

[Alexander Pushkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overlong but interesting in parts. I don't like some of the diary entries being changed to reflect modern sensibilities, for example Roddy used the term 'coloured,' as it is now pejorative this has been changed to Black. Why black is capitalised I don't know. In another example Roddy used the term 'Red Indian' and this was changed to Canadian! One wonders what else has been censored in this book.

[Nicola Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sprawling, colourful, and marvellous account of a life well lived and one that was steeped in kindness and daring throughout. I've written a children's novel on the doomed John Franklin 1845 expedition to the Arctic and had no idea that this writer was a relative and had written his own account of the expedition. I had never heard of him but was immediately captivated by the title, then the cover and, finally, the blurb. It includes Owen's world war two experience, his exotic travels and very exotic/erotic adventures, both home and abroad. He provides great company in this memoir though I would have dearly loved a couple of photos to go along with it. Highly recommend it!

[Vansa · Rating 3 out of 5]

RF Owen led an incredible life, filled with interesting travels and met a wide range of people, and navigated the dangers of being openly gay at a time when that was a crime. This is an edited memoir, from the three volumes that he gave his family members. THis book was both too long, and not long enough. Some parts are excellently written and very evocative-his first visits to French Polynesia are lovely, his account of his visit to Bahrain and what were then called the Trucial States are fascinating and astute-I know of them only as hyper developed oil economies, Owen visited them when they were just about discovering oil, and his accounts of the realpolitik with multiple countries vying for power and trying to establish friendly rulers is very well written. His accounts of his relationships with his partners Nick, and later GianCarlo are deeply moving. However, the sections about his experiences during World War II were irritatingly flip, the account of his drive through Africa too short, and I would have liked more about his visit to post-war Poland-there's strangely nothing of it, while there are reams about his , quite frankly, uninteresting friends in England. On the whole, I found this book a bit of a disappointment, given the fascinating life he's had. I would recommend reading it, the good bits as I've mentioned are excellent and very informative. Skip the rest, though!
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3

[Tom Greenwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a lot of rubbish. If you enjoy reading about over privileged 'chaps', this is the one for you. It would especially appeal to those that take the Daily Mail. Not for me I'm afraid. I hope the person who bought me this book doesn't read this review. I told her it was next to Tolstoy.

[carelessdestiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I'd started reading I couldn't put it down till the finish. His writing is wonderfully fluid and his memories are engrossing.

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fear of growing up like his stiff-upper-lipped Uncle Dick, Roderic Fenwick Owen (1921-2011)survived Eton, Oxford and the Second World War to become a travel writer,experiencing the varied wonders of the 20th century's people and places in that guise. Frequently finding himself party to crucial historical events (including experiencing Nazi Germany in 1939 and the Pentagon during the Cold War Years), his life featured a stellar cast of characters from Eisenhower and Jackson Pollock to Christopher Lee and Sean Connery.
Lyrical, witty and at times jaw-droppingly unbelievable, Oh, What A Lovely Century is both a highly personal memoir and a marvellous obituary of an ever-changing and now lost world - that was frequently the best of times, and sometimes the worst.This is the trip of a lifetime.Roderic Franklin Rawnsley Fenwick Owen was educated at Summer Fields School and Eton as a King's Scholar and at Balliol College,Oxford. He was an accomplished author who practiced as a travel writer and biographer, and wrote the History of Desert Air Force, Lord Tedder's biography (Arthur Tedder was a senior RAF commander).Roderic initially was a conscientious objector during WWII where he served in various ambulance units before joining the RAF where he served in North Africa,Italy and Sicily.Postwar he did some beachcombing in the South Seas,and spent some time travelling around Fiji,Samoa,Tonga and Tahiti.This experience gave him first hand knowledge of life in these parts that he used in writing a travel book,Where the Poor are Happy,and two novels,Green Heart of Heaven and Worse than Wanton.He then travelled to Bahrain to write a book about the Gulf region called The Golden Bubble.Then he was in Abu Dhabi where he came the court poet to Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan.Roderic Fenwick Owen was an adventurous and kind soul who wanted to break free from traditional moulds and live life to the fullest.After 20 years of promiscuity, Roddy's lifelong partner was Gian Carlo Pasqualetto whom he lived with at Gilston Lodge from 1967 until Gian's death in 1991.Roderic purchased Gilston Lodge in 1958,the house is located in Chelsea,London.

[Rex Brampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is inevitable in a biography (auto or otherwise) that the subject will age as the narrative progresses, but I don’t think I have ever been more acutely aware of anyone going through the aging process and turning from Errol Flynn into Alan Bennet.

Perhaps that is because Roddy is so frank about what he writes. Indeed he asked if his memoir had to be edited that the salacious bits not be cut out and the editor promises that he has honoured the spirit of that request. Sadly I found some of his travel writing a bit tedious while I looked forward with prurient interest the next sexual escapade. Such as when riding pillion on a motorcycle caused him to “blow his top” or the bathhouse in Cairo when he received a Royal Salute (twenty-one “guns” a footnote helpfully explains).

But it is also a social history and it records changes in society, most notably the changing attitude to homosexuality throughout his lifetime. It goes from illegal but regarded with a blind eye, to vigorous enforcement of the law, to the law being changed and finally acceptance. While not directly affected, Roddy lived through the era when police officers were actively entrapping men in “lewd” acts and he describes the anxiety that caused men who feared criminal prosecution because their sexuality did not conform to the majority view. Something we need to be reminded of now when people are actively promoting discrimination in the name of religion.

[Davidg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This autobiography has been edited down from a larger 3 volume set of Roderic Owen’s life story that he gave to his family/friends before his death. His was a colourful life, spanning the globe, with adventures, often sexual, in most places. As an old Etonian, he has the connections that open doors in all embassies that wouldn’t open to you or I.

Although it is an edited book, it really needs to have been edited more. It is far too long and it does drag rather. I also lost track of who all these people were, especially when they come back 300 pages later. For a writer, it doesn’t seem that well written.

As well as the length, the other issue I have is that the book is based on diaries and journals. It therefore becomes “I did this then this happened and then I met x …”. There isn’t much reflection and you don’t really get to know Owen, just what he got up to.

2.5 stars.

[K Bright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to this book knowing nothing about either the author or his life, but as a lover of social history, I was quickly drawn in. Oh, What a Lovely Century offers a vivid and personal account of a bygone era, rich with detail and insight. The author, born into privilege and well-connected, had access to circles and experiences many could only dream of, yet I found his reflections felt surprisingly relatable.

What makes this memoir particularly captivating is its glimpse into a world before mass tourism. His travels serve as snapshots of different cultures and places at a time when few ventured far from home. Though his wealth made many of these adventures possible, his wartime experiences, romantic entanglements, and personal losses carry a timeless human resonance. It’s an engaging and at times poignant. I think this is my favourite read this year, for a book printed in 2021.

[Carl Sagstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of him but the title sounded like a hoot…what a rich and varied life he’d led! Plenty of adventures and uncensored anecdotes, not for the puritans.
It’s a long hard slog to get through over 500 pages but worth the effort. Owen is very analytical and philosophical so I enjoyed his varied way of viewing things that happened around him.
“Truthfully, I don’t want to be young, or even middle-aged again; for what could possibly match the dazzling variety of ever-changing patterns which enriched my life so kaleidoscopically the first time round?”
What a summary.

[Birdie]

One of the most entertaining memoirs that I’ve ever read. I don’t think that Roderic always has good politics (particularly when it comes to the Middle East) but dammit if he isn’t always a good time.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A weighty tome that took a while to read but so worth the time to read it, very interesting and extraordinary recount of a very well and full life lived

[Marijean Miyar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, what a waste of time!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating life.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting life although he seemed slightly unaware of his immense privilege.

[William Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

amusing romp