L. P. Hartley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
L. P. Hartley
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| Born | Leslie Poles Hartley 30 December 1895 Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, England |
| Died | 13 December 1972 (aged 76) London, England |
| Education | |
| Genre | Novel, short story |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | James Tait Black Memorial Prize 1947 Heinemann Award 1953 Commander of the Order of the British Empire 1956 Companion of Literature by the Royal Society of Literature 1972 |
Leslie Poles Hartley (30 December 1895 – 13 December 1972) was a British writer. He wrote many novels and short stories. His most famous books are the Eustace and Hilda series and The Go-Between.
The Go-Between was made into a movie in 1971. Another of his novels, The Hireling, became a film in 1973. Hartley often wrote about how people behave in society. He also explored ideas of right and wrong, and family relationships. He published 17 novels and six collections of short stories.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Leslie Poles Hartley was born on December 30, 1895. His birthplace was Whittlesey, in Cambridgeshire, England. He was named after Leslie Stephen, who was the father of writer Virginia Woolf.
His father, Harry Bark Hartley, owned a brick factory. He was also a lawyer and a local judge. Leslie had two sisters, Enid and Annie Norah. His family raised him in the Methodist faith. When he was young, his family moved to Fletton Tower, near Peterborough.
Hartley started his education at home. He really liked the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. At age 11, he wrote his first story. It was a fairy tale about a prince and a dwarf.
In 1908, he went to Northdown Hill Preparatory School. Then he briefly attended Clifton College. In 1910, Hartley went to Harrow School. He was a very good student there. While at Harrow, he changed his religion to Anglicanism. But his earlier Methodist beliefs still influenced him a lot.
In 1915, during the First World War, he went to Balliol College, Oxford. He studied Modern History there. Many young men were joining the army at this time. In 1916, Hartley joined the army too. He became an officer in the Norfolk Regiment in 1917. However, he never fought in the war because of a heart condition. He returned to Oxford in 1919. He wanted to become a writer. At Oxford, he met other writers like Aldous Huxley. He finished his studies in 1921.
Writing Career
Hartley's first works were published in Oxford Poetry in 1920 and 1922. He also helped edit a magazine called Oxford Outlook. This magazine published works by other famous writers. Hartley wrote essays, short stories, and reviews for it.
Early in his career, Hartley spent a lot of time meeting new people. He met Lady Ottoline Morrell, who had a famous group of writers. He also met Cynthia Asquith, who became a lifelong friend. He enjoyed being part of these social groups. However, his writing career was slow to start, which made him unhappy.
After Oxford, Hartley worked as a book reviewer. He wrote for many newspapers and magazines. People praised his reviews for being smart and thoughtful. But reading so many books for reviews took time away from his own writing.
First Books and Ghost Stories
In 1924, Hartley met a publisher named Constant Huntington. Huntington published Hartley's first collection of short stories, Night Fears, that year. He also published Hartley's shorter novel, Simonetta Perkins, in 1925. Night Fears did not sell well. Simonetta Perkins only earned him a small amount of money. However, critics liked it. One review called him "one of the most hopeful talents."
In 1932, Hartley published The Killing Bottle. This was a collection of ghost stories. Some of these stories were put into other books by Cynthia Asquith. This made him more popular. Critics thought he was a great ghost story writer, like M. R. James.
Famous Novels
Hartley worked on his first full-length novel, The Shrimp and the Anemone, for 20 years. He finally published it when he was 49. He had started and stopped writing it many times. The main characters, Eustace and Hilda, were inspired by Hartley and his sister Enid.
He continued their story in two more novels: The Sixth Heaven and Eustace and Hilda. This series of three books is called a trilogy. It explores ideas about childhood memories and growing up. By the time the third book came out, Hartley was a well-known author. Critics loved the books. They especially liked how he created characters from high society who were still easy to love. One critic called the last novel "one of the few masterpieces in contemporary fiction."
After writing a few more successful novels, Hartley wrote The Go-Between in just five months. This book became very popular. It was even on The New York Times bestseller list in the United States. The novel was translated into many languages, including Italian and French. Other writers, like W. H. Auden, also admired it.
Hartley wanted The Go-Between to show how innocence and good morals can be lost. He was surprised when many readers felt sorry for characters he thought should be disliked. Hartley was known for being very strict about morals.
Major Themes in His Work
Hartley's writing was influenced by authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry James. His books often explore ideas about right and wrong in society and for individuals. He often showed how strong feelings could lead to problems. He wrote about characters who were changing from teenagers to adults. He compared the innocence of childhood with the knowledge gained in adulthood.
Critics see Hartley as both a realist and a romantic writer. He used symbols in his stories to develop characters. He also used them to comment on the complexities of the class system. He was also known for adding fantasy, horror, and mystery to his stories. This helped him explore the deeper questions of life. Hartley often wrote columns for The Daily Telegraph. In these, he showed he disliked modern culture because he found it rude.
Awards and Legacy
In 1947, Hartley won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Eustace and Hilda. His 1953 novel, The Go-Between, won the Heinemann Award. He was honored by the British Empire in 1956. In 1972, he received the title of Companion of Literature. He was also involved with important literary groups like PEN International.
In 1971, the movie The Go-Between was released. It was based on Hartley's novel. It starred Julie Christie and Alan Bates. In 1991, a documentary about Hartley was made. It was called Bare Heaven.
Personal Life
Hartley spent many years living in Venice, Italy. He bought a home there. He was influenced by a statue of Saint Sebastian in Venice. He saw the saint as a "symbol of mankind." In Venice, he had his own gondola and gondolier. He often spent whole days on the canals. He also entertained many guests, including other artists and writers. Sometimes, he would put his writing aside to focus on social events.
Later in his life, Hartley lived in London. He enjoyed swimming and rowing. He had many servants, and some became close friends. They even appeared in his novels. During these years, Hartley became more private. He no longer went to as many social gatherings. He enjoyed reading books by other authors like Elizabeth Bowen.
Hartley was known to worry a lot about his health. He was especially afraid of getting sick. He was very concerned about being an individual in modern society. He called himself a "moralist."
Hartley died in London on December 13, 1972, at age 76. He was buried at Golders Green Crematorium.
List of Works
Here are some of the books written by L. P. Hartley:
- Night Fears (1924)
- Simonetta Perkins (1925)
- The Killing Bottle (1932)
- The Shrimp and the Anemone (1944) - Part of the Eustace and Hilda Trilogy
- The Sixth Heaven (1946) - Part of the Eustace and Hilda Trilogy
- Eustace and Hilda (1947) - Part of the Eustace and Hilda Trilogy
- The Travelling Grave and Other Stories (1948)
- The Boat (1949)
- My Fellow Devils (1951)
- The Go-Between (1953)
- The White Wand and Other Stories (1954)
- A Perfect Woman (1955)
- The Hireling (1957)
- Facial Justice (1960)
- Two for the River (1961)
- The Brickfield (1964)
- The Betrayal (1966)
- The Novelist's Responsibility (1967) - Essays
- Poor Clare (1968)
- The Collected Short Stories of L. P. Hartley (1968)
- The Love-Adept: A Variation on a Theme (1969)
- My Sisters' Keeper (1970)
- Mrs. Carteret Receives (1971)
- The Harness Room (1971)
- The Collections: A Novel (1972)
- The Will and the Way (1973)
- The Complete Short Stories of L. P. Hartley (1973)
- The Collected Macabre Stories (2001)
See also
In Spanish: L. P. Hartley para niños
