Maurice Baring facts for kids

Maurice Baring (born April 27, 1874 – died December 14, 1945) was a talented English writer. He wrote many different kinds of books, including plays, poems, novels, and essays. He also traveled a lot and wrote about his journeys. During World War I, he worked for the British military in the Intelligence Corps and the Royal Air Force. He was especially known for his knowledge about Russia.

Maurice Baring's Early Life and Education

Maurice Baring was born in Mayfair, London. He was the eighth child in his family. His father, Edward Charles Baring, was the first Baron Revelstoke and part of the famous Baring banking family.

Maurice went to two well-known schools. He studied at Eton College, which is a famous boarding school. Later, he attended Trinity College, Cambridge, a top university.

Travels and War Reporting

After finishing his education, Maurice Baring traveled widely. He spent a lot of time in Russia between 1905 and 1906. He was a reporter for a London newspaper called the Morning Post. He wrote about the Russo-Japanese War as an eyewitness. This means he saw the events happening and wrote about them.

Serving in World War I

When World War I began, Maurice Baring joined the Royal Flying Corps. This was an early version of the Royal Air Force. He worked as an assistant to important officers like David Henderson and Hugh Trenchard in France.

During the war, he wrote many letters to Lady Juliet Duff. These letters were later published in a book. In 1918, he became an officer in the Royal Air Force. He was also given an award called the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). After the war, one of his commanders, Hugh Trenchard, praised him. He said Maurice Baring was a very unselfish person.

Maurice Baring's Writing Career

Maurice Baring started his writing career by writing plays and poems. One of his early works was The Black Prince and Other Poems (1902). He also wrote several books about Russia, such as Landmarks in Russian Literature (1910).

After World War I, he became a full-time writer. He started writing novels, which are longer stories. Some of his famous novels include C (1924), Cat's Cradle (1925), and The Coat Without Seams (1929). He also wrote a book about his own life called The Puppet Show of Memory (1922). This book focused on his childhood and younger years.

In his later years, Maurice Baring became ill with Parkinson's disease. This made it hard for him to move and write. He passed away on December 14, 1945.

Maurice Baring's Legacy

Maurice Baring was well-known among writers and artists of his time. He was friends with many famous people.

He is remembered in a funny poem by another writer, Hilaire Belloc. The poem mentions Baring's name.

Another famous writer, Virginia Woolf, read one of his books called C. She thought his writing was charming and well-written, but perhaps a bit limited in its style.

Maurice Baring might have also inspired a character in a detective story. The character Horne Fisher, from a book by G. K. Chesterton, is thought to be based on Maurice Baring. Horne Fisher is described as someone who knows a lot about everything.

Works

See also

In Spanish: Maurice Baring para niños