Edric Cecil Mornington Roberts (18 May 1892 – 20 December 1976) was an English journalist, poet, dramatist and novelist. He was born and grew up in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

Working career

Roberts published his first volume of poems, with a preface by

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels ''The Midnight Folk'' and ''The Box of Delights'', and the poem ...

, in 1913. He published his first novel, ''Scissors,'' in 1923 and by the 1930's was an established bestselling author. His work was translated into 12 languages. He worked as a journalist on the ''

Liverpool Post The ''Liverpool Post'' was a newspaper published by Reach plc, Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The newspaper and its website ceased publication on 19 December 2013. Until 13 January 2012 it was a daily morning newspaper, wi ...

'' during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, initially as literary editor, then as a war correspondent. For five years from 1920 he edited the daily ''

Nottingham Journal The ''Nottingham Journal'' was a newspaper published in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands in England. During that time, the paper went through several title changes through mergers, take-overs, acquisitions and ownership changes. ...

''. In 1922 he stood for Parliament for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. In the 1930s he reviewed books for

The Sphere ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Roberts worked for

Lord Halifax Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, (16 April 1881 – 23 December 1959), known as The Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and The Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was a senior British Conservative politician of the 19 ...

, UK Ambassador to the United States. Despite a prolific output and the popularity of his writings in his lifetime, they are almost wholly forgotten. His novels have been criticized for thin plots and cardboard characters, padded out with travel writing.

Personal life

Roberts said that on coming of age he drew up a list of aims for his next 15 years, which included a solid career as a novelist, membership of Parliament, ownership of a country house and a London

pied-à-terre A ''pied-à-terre'' (, plural: ''pieds-à-terre''; French for "foot on the ground") is a small living unit, e.g., apartment or condominium, often located in a large city and not used as an individual's primary residence. The term implies use of ...

, and marriage with two sons and a daughter. Some were achieved, but not the last. In private he claimed proudly to have been a lover of

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

, Baron

Gottfried von Cramm Gottfried Alexander Maximilian Walter Kurt Freiherr von Cramm (; 7 July 1909 – 8 November 1976) was a German tennis champion who won the French Open twice and reached the final of a Grand Slam on five other occasions. He was ranked number 2 in ...

Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

, and

Prince George, Duke of Kent Prince George, Duke of Kent, (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 – 25 August 1942) was a member of the British royal family, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was a younger brother of kings Edward VIII and Geo ...

. However, his autobiography is discreet: "I don't want any ," he said, adding he was "nauseated by the striptease school of writers". In later life Roberts's creative industry was impressive, but he gained repute as a name-dropping bore, the Canadian writer

David Watmough David Arthur Watmough (August 17, 1926 – August 4, 2017) was a Canadian playwright, short story writer and novelist. Watmough was born in London, England, and attended King's College London. He has worked as a reporter (the Cornish Guardian, a ' ...

dubbing him as "an irascible old fart". According to an obituary, his main personal trait was "magnetic egocentricity" – so fascinated by himself and his doings as to succeed uncannily in conveying that fascination to others, even against their will. Roberts's life often resembled a 20th-century grand tour, strewn with places in the sun, grand seigneurs and charming hostesses, with him as a fastidious literary pilgrim. Roberts settled in Italy in the early 1950s, living in

Alassio Alassio ( lij, Arasce) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Savona situated in the western coast of Liguria, Northern Italy, approximately from the French border. Alassio is known for its natural and scenic views. The town centre is cro ...

and then for many years in the Grand Hotel, Rome. He was awarded the Italian Gold Medal in 1966. He donated his papers to

Churchill College Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but still retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities. In 1958, a trust was establish ...

, Cambridge in 1975.The Papers of Cecil Roberts
Retrieved 12 November 2014 He died in Rome in 1976.

Works

*''Phyllistrata'' (1913) *''Through the Eyes of Youth'' (1914) *''The Youth of Beauty'' (1915) *''Collected War Poems'' (1916) *''The Chelsea Cherub'' (1917) novel *''Twenty-Six'' (1917) *''Charing Cross'' (1918) *''Training the Airmen'' (1919) *''Poems'' (1920) *''A Tale of Young Lovers'' (1922) poetic drama *''Scissors'' (1923) novel *''Sails of Sunset'' (1924) novel *''The Love Rack'' (1925) novel *''Little Mrs. Manington'' (1926) novel *''The Diary of Russell Beresford'' (1927) editor *''Sagusto'' (1927) novel *''David and Diana'' (1928) novel *''Goose Fair'' (1928) *''Indiana Jane'' (1929) novel *''Pamela's Spring Song'' (1929) novel (@) *''Goose Fair'' (1929) *''Havana Bound'' (1930) novel *''Spears Against Us'' (1930) novel (@) *''Bargain Basement'' (1931) novel *''Half Way: an autobiography'' (1931) *''Alfred Fripp'' (1932) biography *''Pilgrim Cottage'' (1933) trilogy: includes ''The Guests Arrive'' and ''Volcano'' (*) *''The Pilgrim Cottage Omnibus'' (*) *''Gone Rustic'' (1934) (*) *''The Guests Arrive'' (1934) (*) *''Volcano'' (1935) (*) *''Gone Rambling'' (1935) (*) * *''Gone Afield'' (1936) (*) *''Gone Sunwards'' (1936) (*) *''Victoria, Four-Thirty'' (1937) novel (@) *''They Wanted to Live'' (1939) novel (@) *''

And So to Bath {{unreferenced, date=December 2010 ''And So to Bath'' is a novel by Cecil Roberts first published in 1940. Roberts lived in Oxfordshire and was familiar with the Old Bath Road as far as Maidenhead at which point he would turn off. After meet ...

'' (1940) (*) *''A Man Arose'' (1941) poem on Winston Churchill *''Letters from Jim'' (1941) editor *''One Small Candle'' (1942) *''So Immortal a Flower'' (1944) *''The Labyrinth'' (1944) *''And So to America'' (1946) *''Eight for Eternity'' (1947) *''And So to Rome'' (1950) *''A Terrace in the Sun'' (1951) *''One Year of Life'' (1952) memoir *''The Remarkable Young Man'' (1954) *''Portal to Paradise: an Italian excursion'' (1955) *''Love Is Like That'' (1957) *''Selected Poems'' (1960) *''Wide Is the Horizon'' (1962) *''Grand Cruise'' (1963) *''A Flight of Birds'' (1966) *''The Growing Boy'' (1967) autobiography (i) *''The Years of Promise'' autobiography (ii) *''The Bright Twenties'' (1970) autobiography (iii) *''Sunshine and Shadow'' (1972) autobiography (iv) *''Pleasant Years'' (1974) autobiography (v) *''Wings'' poem (*)=The "Pilgrim Cottage" books (@)=The "Inside Europe" novels

References

*Cecil Roberts (1935) ''Gone Rambling''; p. 3 {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Cecil 1892 births 1976 deaths English male journalists English memoirists English male novelists 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English male writers Writers from Nottingham English LGBT writers 20th-century LGBT people