Ronald Firbank

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Ronald Firbank (1917)

Arthur Annesley Ronald Firbank , called Ronald Firbank (born January 17, 1886 in London , † May 21, 1926 in Rome ) was a British writer.

Live and act

Firbank was the son of the Conservative Party ( MP ) Sir Thomas Firbank (1850-1910) and his wife Lady Harriet Jane Garrett (1851-1924); he had two brothers, Joseph Sydney (1884–1904) and Hubert Somerset (1887–1913), and a sister, Heather (1888–1954). The "High Sheriff of Monmouthshire", Joseph Firbank (1819–1886), was his grandfather. 1900/01 Firbank attended Uppingham School and then moved to Trinity Hall ( University of Cambridge ).

During his studies he began to be interested in questions of faith as well as philosophy and converted to Catholicism in 1907 . Two years later he dropped out and left the university without any degree.

After his father's death in 1910, Firbank became completely financially independent and began to travel. After long trips to and through Spain, North Africa and the Middle East, he stayed in Rome for some time . There he fell ill with tuberculosis and died on May 21, 1926 at the age of forty. He found his final resting place on the Campo Verano (Reparto Stranieri, Riquadro 38).

reception

Many contemporary colleagues of Firbanks such as EM Forster and Evelyn Waugh discussed his works positively. Susan Sontag saw Firbank in 1964 (Notes on Camp) as an important exponent of camp art ; and Alan Hollinghurst themed 1988 in his "The swimming pool library" Firbanks oeuvre.

Firbank influenced Maurice-Yves Sandoz . Even Henry Matthews and Gilbert Sorrentino saw much worth copying in Firbank.

Works (selection)

stories
  • The fairies wood . 1904.
  • Impression d'automne . 1905
  • Odette d'Antrevernes. A fairy tale for weary people . Hardpress Publ., London 2012, ISBN 978-1-290-30075-9 (EA London 1905).
  • Lady Appledore's mésalliance . 1908.
  • Santal . 1921.
  • "The new rythum" and other pieces . Duckworth, London 1962.
Novels
  • Artificial princess . Duckworth, London 1915.
  • Vainglory . Duckworth, London 1915.
  • Inclinations . Duckworth, London 1916.
  • Caprice . Duckworth, London 1917.
  • Valmouth . Duckworth, London 1977, ISBN 0-7156-1093-7 (EA London 1919).
  • The flower beneath the foot . Penguin, Harmondsworth 1986, ISBN 0-14-008825-3 (EA London 1923).
    • German translation: The flower under the feet or report of the early living conditions of St. Laura de Nazianzi . Männerschwarm-Verlag, Hamburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-939542-20-9 (translated by Christine Wunnicke ).
  • Sorrow in sunlight . 1924 (former title: Prancing Nigger ).
  • Concerning the eccentricities of Cardinal Pirelli . 1926.
    • German translation: Concerning the eccentricities of Cardinal Pirelli. Novel . Hanser, Munich 1970 (translated by Werner Peterich ).
Plays
  • The Mauve Tower . 1904.
  • The disciple from the country .
  • The princess Zoubaroff. A comedy . 1920.
Work editions
  • Complete plays . Dalkey Archive Press, Normal, Il. 1994, ISBN 1-56478-047-3 .
  • Complete short stories . Dalkey Archive Press, Normal, Il. 1990, ISBN 0-916583-60-0 .
  • The works . Duckworth, London 1929 (5 vols.).
  1. Vainglory . 1929.
  2. Odette. Inclinations. Caprice . 1929.
  3. Valmouth. The princess Zoubaroff . 1929.
  4. Santal. The flower beneath the foot . 1929.
  5. Prancing nigger. Concerning the eccentricities of Cardinal Pirelli . 1929.
  • The complete Ronald Firbank . Duckworth, London 1961.
  • Five novels . Duckworth, London 1949.

literature

  • Miriam J. Benkowitz: Ronald Firbank. A biography . Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 1970.
  • Brigid Brophy : Prancing Novelist. A defense of fiction in the form of a critical biography in praise of Ronald Firbank . Macmillan, London 1973, ISBN 0-333-13779-5 .
  • Jocelyn Brooke: Ronald Firbank . Barker Books, London 1951.
  • Jocelyn Brooke: Ronald Firbank and John Betjeman (Bibliographical Series of supplements to British book news on writers and their work; Vol. 153). Longmans Green, London 1962.
  • Nancy Cunard : Thoughts about Ronald Firbank . Albondocani Press, New York 1971.
  • Gill Davies et al. a .: Critical essays on Ronald Firbank, English Novelist 1886-1926 (Mellen studies in literature; Vol. 38). Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston, NY 2004, ISBN 0-7734-6555-3 .
  • Alan Hollinghurst: The swimming pool library . Vintage Books, London 2006, ISBN 978-0-09-926813-0 (EA London 1988).
  • Derek Parker: The man with red nails. Ronald Firbank . In: Books and Company, Vol. 5 . Long Barn Books, London 1999.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Nude in Velours , Der Spiegel, June 1, 1970
  2. ↑ Contents: A study in temperament. - Lady Appledore's mésalliance. - The new rythum. - A miscellany of shot passages from unpublished writings.
  3. ↑ Contents: The mauve tower. - A disciple from the country. - The princess Zoubaroff.
  4. ↑ Content: True love. - When widows love. - A study in temperament. - La princesse aux soleils. - Far away. - Odette d'Antrevernes. - harmony. - The legend of Saint Gabrielle. - Souvenir d'automne. - The singing bird and the moon. - Her dearest friend. - The wavering disciple. - A study in opal. - A tragedy in green. - Lady Appledore's mésalliance.
  5. ^ Contents: Valmouth.- The flower beneath the foot. - Prancing nigger. - Concerning the eccentricities of Cardinal Pirelli. - The artificial princess.
personal data
SURNAME Firbank, Ronald
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British writer
DATE OF BIRTH January 17, 1886
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH May 21, 1926
Place of death Rome