Beresford Egan (1905–1984) was a satirical draughtsman, painter, novelist, actor, costume designer and playwright.
He was born in
London but grew up in
South Africa following a family move when he was five years old. He returned to London in July 1926 after spending two years as a precocious sports cartoonist on the ''
Rand Daily Mail'' in
Johannesburg.
He quickly established himself in the artistic and literary atmosphere of London. He not only illustrated the works of other writers, but also his own novels. He wrote three plays, composed songs and undertook theatre criticism and caricatures. He acted in British movies including "Latin Quarter" and appeared in the dying days of British music hall as The Great Daleno. His art was highly influenced by
Aubrey Beardsley and many of his illustrations were in an erotic vein.
Egan is remembered as one of the few original British exponents of
Art Deco. He was one of the most famous people of London's
bohemian scene for nearly five decades. He was a prolific writer and book illustrator, beginning with ''The Sink of Solitude'', a satire on the banning of Radclyffe Hall's controversial novel ''The Well Of Loneliness'' (1928). That book marked the beginning of a prolific phase of around six years during which Egan created numerous illustrations and book covers for works of
Aleister Crowley,
Pierre Louÿs and
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poetry, French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticis ...
. Egan also wrote a couple of novels, which he embellished with his striking illustrations. He also made illustrations for the monographs produced by his wife Catherine Bower Alcock.
Following military service during the
Second World War, he acted occasionally in films, including four for director
Vernon Sewell.
[
]
Bibliography
;Books/Pamphlets written ( wholly or in part) and illustrated/jacketed by Egan
*''The Sink of Solitude''. Hermes Press, 1928.
*''Policeman of the Lord''. Sophistocles Press, 1929.
*''Pollen''. Denis Archer, 1933. (Re-issued with extra material by Side Real Press, 2013)
*''No Sense in Form''. Denis Archer, 1933.
*''But the Sinners Triumph''. Fortune Press, 1934.
*''Epitaph''. Fortune Press, 1943.
*''Epilogue''. Fortune Press, 1946.
*''Bun-Ho!''. Floris Bakeries, 1959.
*''Storicards''. Barrigan Press, 1960.
;Books Illustrated by Beresford Egan - UK Editions
*''Fleurs Du Mal'' by Baudelaire
Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited fro ...
, translated by C. Bower Alcock. Sophistocles Press and T. Werner Laurie, 1929.
*''Aphrodite'' by Pierre Louys
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
. Fortune Press, 1929.
*''Cyprian Masques'' by Pierre Louys
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
. Fortune Press, 1929.
*''De Sade'' by Brian de Shane C. Bower Alcock Fortune Press, 1929 0
*''The Adventures of King Pausole'' by Pierre Louys
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
. Fortune Press, 1930.
*''Income and Outcome'' by Nigel Balchin. Hamish Hamilton, 1936.
*''Pobottle Stories'' by Nigel Balchin High Duty Alloys, 1935-1937.
;Books illustrated by Beresford Egan – US editions
*''Flowers of Evil''. William Godwin, 1933 (pirate of the 1929 ''Fleurs Du Mal'').
*''Flowers of Evil''. Sylvan Press, 1947 (authorised edition of the 1929 ''Fleurs Du Mal'').
*''Aphrodite''. William Godwin, 1933 (pirate of the 1929 Fortune Press edition).
*''Cyprian Masques''. William Godwin, 1933 (pirate of the 1929 Fortune Press edition).
*''The Adventures of King Pausole''. William Godwin, 1933 (pirate of the 1929 Fortune Press edition).
;Dust-jackets designed/decorated by Beresford Egan
*'' Moonchild'' by Aleister Crowley. Mandrake Press, 1929.
*( reissued in paperback with front cover design only, Samuel Weiser, 1992 and 2002).
*''A Soviet Marriage'' by Paul Trent (Edward Platt). T. Werner Laurie, 1930.
*''Beast or Man'' by S.M'guire. Cecil Palmer, c.1930.
*''The House of Death'' by Leon Groc. Dennis Archer, 1931 (?).
*''This Modern Stuff'' by G. Abrahams. Denis Archer, 1933.
*''Murder in the Square'' by J. Smith. Denis Archer, c. 1933.
*''The Sultan's Skull'' by W. Smith. Archer, c1933.
;Books/ booklets about Beresford Egan
*''Beresford Egan: An Introduction to His Work'' by Paul Allen. Scorpion Press, 1966.
*''Beresford Egan'' by Adrian Woodhouse
Adrian Woodhouse (born 27 July 1951) is a British writer, journalist and collector. Born in Calcutta, India he moved with his family back to their native country in the mid-1960s. After reading history at King's College, Cambridge, he started work ...
. Portsmouth City Museum and Art Gallery, 1979.
Beresford Egan
by Adrian Woodhouse
Adrian Woodhouse (born 27 July 1951) is a British writer, journalist and collector. Born in Calcutta, India he moved with his family back to their native country in the mid-1960s. After reading history at King's College, Cambridge, he started work ...
. Tartarus Press, 2005.
;Theatre Reviews and Caricatures by Beresford Egan
*''Courier'' magazine - July 1956 to January 1959
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Egan, Beresford
British illustrators
South African artists
1905 births
1984 deaths
Writers who illustrated their own writing