Wilhelm Nero Pilate Barbellion was the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of Bruce Frederick Cummings (7 September 1889 – 22 October 1919), an English diarist who was responsible for ''

The Journal of a Disappointed Man ''The Journal of a Disappointed Man'' is the first volume of published journal entries by English naturalist and diarist Bruce Frederick Cummings, writing under the pen name W. N. P. Barbellion. Production ''The Journal of a Disappointed Man'' wa ...

''. Ronald Blythe called it "among the most moving diaries ever created".

Early life and education

Cummings was born in

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...

16 Cross Street on 7 September 1889, the youngest child of John and Maria Cummings. He was a naturalist at heart and ended up working at the British Museum's Department of Natural History in London. Having begun his journal at the age of thirteen, Cummings continued to record his observations there – gradually moving from dry scientific notes to a more personal, literary style. Despite an obvious passion for the subject from an early age, Cummings, upon the advice of others, followed his father and Brother (Arthur John) into the world of journalism, which he hated, as he often mentioned in his diary. His literary ambitions changed course in 1914 upon reading the journal of the Russian painter Marie Bashkirtseff, in whom he recognised a kindred spirit. In his 15 January 1915 entry he indicated that he intended his Journal to be published: "Then all in God’s good time I intend getting a volume ready for publication."

Army rejection

Cummings' life changed forever when he was called to enlist in the British Army to fight in World War I in November 1915. He had consulted his doctor before taking the regulation medical prior to enlisting, and his doctor had given him a sealed, confidential letter to present to the medical officer at the recruitment center.W. N. P. Barbellion, ''The Journal of a Disappointed Man'', 1919, New York: George H. Doran. Page 225. Cummings did not know what was contained in the letter, but in the event it was not needed; the medical officer rejected Cummings as unfit for active duty after the most cursory of medical examinations. Hurt, Cummings decided to open the letter on his way back home to see what had been inside, and was staggered to learn that his doctor had diagnosed him with

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

, and that he almost certainly had less than five years to live.W. N. P. Barbellion, ''The Journal of a Disappointed Man'', 1919, New York: George H. Doran. Page 255. The news changed Cummings profoundly, and his journal became much more intense and personal as a result. He had married Winifred Eleanor Benger (aka Eleanor Abbey after her second marriage to Edwin Abbey) shortly before discovering his illness in 1915, and had a daughter, Penelope, in October 1916, but was later moved to discover that his wife had been informed of his condition long before he himself knew his fate, and his efforts to spare the feelings of his family had been in vain since they had known his condition even before he had.

Publication of the diaries and final years

His diaries up to the winter of 1917, which he revised and corrected prior to publication, were eventually published in March 1919 under the title ''The Journal of a Disappointed Man''. He chose the pseudonym "W. N. P. Barbellion" to protect the identities of his family and friends; he chose the forenames " Wilhelm", " Nero" and "

Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of J ...

" as his examples of the most wretched men ever to have lived. The first edition bore a preface by H.G. Wells, which led some reviewers to believe the journal was a work of fiction by Wells himself; Wells publicly denied this but the true identity of "Barbellion" was not known by the public until after Cummings' death. ''The Journal of a Disappointed Man'', filled with frank and keen observation, unique philosophy and personal resignation, was described by its author as "a study in the nude". The book received both adulatory and scathing reviews;

Collins Collins may refer to: People Surname Given name * Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat * Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration * Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...

, having originally optioned the book, eventually rejected it because they feared the "lack of morals" shown by Barbellion would damage their reputation. An editor's note at the very end of the book claims Barbellion died on 31 December 1917, but Cummings in fact lived for nearly two more years. He died on 22 October 1919 at home in Camden Cottage, Gerrards Cross,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

, having recently approved the proofs of a second short volume of memoirs, ''Enjoying Life and Other Literary Remains''; a third brief volume of his very last entries, ''A Last Diary'', appeared in 1920. His identity was made public through his obituaries in various newspapers, at which point his brother Henry R. Cummings gave a newspaper interview providing details of the life of "Barbellion". The strong early sales and the admiration received by ''The Journal of a Disappointed Man'' are largely forgotten by the wider reading public today, but the book has been frequently reprinted in paperback and is regarded as a classic of English literature. It has been likened to the best work of other writers, including Franz Kafka and James Joyce. It is also much admired by many with

as a frank and eloquent portrayal of their struggle. Numerous MS societies and charities have recommended or even published copies of the book to encourage greater understanding among those with and without MS alike (see link below). Barbellion sums up his life in one of the last entries in ''The Journal of a Disappointed Man'': "I am only twenty-eight, but I have telescoped into those few years a tolerably long life: I have loved and married, and have a family; I have wept and enjoyed, struggled and overcome, and when the hour comes I shall be content to die."W. N. P. Barbellion, ''The Journal of a Disappointed Man'', 1920, London: Chatto & Windus. Page 305. Concerning death, Barbellion wrote:

References

External links

The Quotable Barbellion

* * *
''The Journal of a Disappointed Man'' (1920 edition) at Internet Archive (free e-book download)

The complete Works of Barbellion
serialised as a weblog
Essays by W. N. P. Barbellion at Quotidiana.org

The Barbellion Prize
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbellion, W. N. P. 1889 births 1919 deaths Writers from Barnstaple English essayists English diarists Neurological disease deaths in England Deaths from multiple sclerosis People with multiple sclerosis 20th-century essayists 20th-century pseudonymous writers

Early life and education

Army rejection

Publication of the diaries and final years

Further reading

References

External links