David Sweetman (16 March 1943 – 7 April 2002) was a British writer, critic, teacher and broadcaster.

Early life

Born David Robert Sweetman in 1943, he left Dilston in 1960 to study Fine Art at King's College, Newcastle (University of Durham), as a scholarship student. At King's he formed what would become a lifelong friendship with

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...

, an artist and performer. After graduation, he went to Africa to teach English. He took a diploma at Makerere College in Uganda and wrote a series of textbooks on teaching English for the British Council in Tunisia, as well as a series of adventure books (''Skyjack over Africa'' and other titles) and biographies (''Queen Nzinga: The Woman Who Saved Her People'', among other titles in his series called Makers of African History) published by Longmans for younger African readers to encourage their language skills. Toward the end of the decade, he taught English and art at a school in Dar es Salaam.

Writer and poet

Sweetman was a frequent and prolific book reviewer and a poet of some distinction. His poems were published in a number of periodicals including '' The Listener'', the ''

Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to '' The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'', the ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'' and ''

Quarto Quarto (abbreviated Qto, 4to or 4º) is the format of a book or pamphlet produced from full sheets printed with eight pages of text, four to a side, then folded twice to produce four leaves. The leaves are then trimmed along the folds to produc ...

''. In 1981, Faber published a collection, ''Looking into the Deep End'', which became a Poetry Book Society Choice. His important survey Women Leaders in African History was published in 1984. In 1986, ''Zeffirelli'', a biography of Italian film director

Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...

was published. He then turned to writing artist biographies. His 1990

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...

biography, ''The Love of Many Things'' (also published as ''Van Gogh: His Life and His Art'') became an award-winning book. This was quickly followed by biographies of

Mary Renault Eileen Mary Challans (4 September 1905 – 13 December 1983), known by her pen name Mary Renault ("She always pronounced it 'Ren-olt', though almost everyone would come to speak of her as if she were a French car." ), was an English writer best ...

(1994),

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

(1995), and ''Explosive Acts:

Toulouse-Lautrec Comte Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901) was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist and illustrator whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of Paris in the la ...

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

Félix Fénéon Félix Fénéon (; 22 June 1861 – 29 February 1944) was a French art critic, gallery director, writer and anarchist during the late 19th century and early 20th century. He coined the term ''Neo-Impressionism'' in 1886 to identify a group of a ...

, and the Art & Anarchy of the Fin de Siecle'' (1999). He had a novel, ''A Tribal Fever'', published in 1996. A generous man with an acerbic wit, his London home was often filled with African refugees. He also wrote a series of cookbooks and created restaurants with his longtime companion, Thai chef Vatcharin Bhumitchitr."Obituary, David Sweetman: Gifted writer committed to Africa and Thailand"
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Broadcaster

In 1971, Sweetman, who had been associated briefly with the

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is an international broadcasting, international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC, with funding from the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government through the Foreign Secretary, Foreign Secretary's o ...

, became presenter of " Poetry Workshop," one of

BBC Radio London BBC Radio London is the Local BBC Radio, BBC's local radio station serving Greater London and its surrounding areas. The station broadcasts across the area and beyond, on the 94.9 FM broadcasting, FM frequency, Digital Audio Broadcasting, DAB, ...

's first literary programmes. Sweetman co-produced the weekly programme with

Denis Boyles Denis Boyles is a journalist, editor, university lecturer and the author/editor of several books of poetry, travel/history, criticism, humor, practical advice and essays, including ''Design Poetics'' (1975), ''The Modern Man's Guide to Life'' (1986) ...

, an American poet and journalist, for Wanda's Factory, a London "underground" literary cooperative. He interviewed a number of important literary figures for the programme, including

Stephen Spender Sir Stephen Harold Spender (28 February 1909 – 16 July 1995) was an English poet, novelist and essayist whose work concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry by the ...

and

Lawrence Durrell Lawrence George Durrell (; 27 February 1912 – 7 November 1990) was an expatriate British novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer. He was the eldest brother of naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell. Born in India to British colonial pare ...

. He subsequently became a television documentary director and producer, collaborating with Roderick Gradidge for a series on architecture, with

Stephen Bayley Stephen Paul Bayley (born 13 October 1951) is a British writer and critic, known particularly for his commentary on architecture and design. He was founding CEO of the Design Museum in London in 1989, and has been a regular architecture, art ...

for a series on design, and with Anton Dolin and

Wayne Sleep Wayne Philip Colin Sleep (born 17 July 1948) is a British dancer, director, choreographer, and actor who appeared on the BBC series '' The Real Marigold on Tour'' and ITV's '' The Real Full Monty''. Early life Sleep was born in Plymouth, D ...

for a series on the ballet. Sweetman's documentary reports were also broadcast on Omnibus. Sweetman was diagnosed in early 2000 with

multiple system atrophy Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by autonomic dysfunction, tremors, slow movement, muscle rigidity, and postural instability (collectively known as parkinsonism) and ataxia. This is caused by progr ...

and died in London two years later.

References

* Profile
How we met: David Sweetman and Franco Zeffirelli
in The Independent, 23 March 1993, by Fiametta Rocco. * Interview
The Hidden Depths of Quite Contrary Mary
in the Observer, 28 March 1993.

External links

Madly Gifted
Article by David Sweetman on the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

Hans Prinzhorn Hans Prinzhorn (6 June 1886 – 14 June 1933) was a German psychiatrist and art historian. Born in Hemer, Westphalia, he studied art history and philosophy at the University of Vienna, receiving his doctorate in 1908. He then went to England t ...

collection * Obituary i
The Independent
11 April 2002, by Andrew Best * Obituary i
The Guardian
12 April 2002, by David McGillivray {{DEFAULTSORT:Sweetman, David 1943 births 2002 deaths English biographers English broadcasters English literary critics Deaths from multiple system atrophy Neurological disease deaths in England English gay writers British LGBT broadcasters People from Corbridge Writers from Northumberland English LGBT poets English LGBT novelists British male poets English male novelists 20th-century English poets 20th-century English novelists 20th-century biographers 20th-century English male writers English male non-fiction writers Male biographers 20th-century LGBT people