Rupert Hart-Davis by Philip Ziegler
Rupert Hart-Davis (born 1907, died 1999) not only founded a prestigious publishing company; he also involved himself vigorously in literary politics. His story is the story of literary life in the 20th century. He worked for William Heinemann and Jonathan Cape (who sacked him), and numbered among his close friends Duff and Diana Cooper, Peter and Ian Fleming, Arthur Ransome, John Betjeman, Eric Linklater and Joyce Grenfell. His mother - to whom he was obsessively devoted - died when he was at Oxford. Desolated, he left without a degree, to try his hand at acting. He played alongside Richardson, Geilgud and Olivier - and found himself having to chose between two attractive young actresses: Celia Johnson and Peggy Ashcroft. When he told Celia he was marrying Peggy, she broke down in tears. The marriage didn't last, and Rupert went on to marry 3 more times. Before marrying his colleague, Ruth Simon, he lived for some years with his wife, Comfort, in the country at weekends, and with Ruth in London during the working week. After Ruth's death, he married his secretary June, with whom he lived in retirement in his beloved Yorkshire dales.
Philip Ziegler is one of our most skilled and sensitive biographers. Previous subjects have included Diana Cooper, Mountbatten, Edward V111, Harold Wilson and Osbert Sitwell. He has written the histories of the Black Death and the London Blitz, and SOLDIERS, which was based on interviews with Chelsea Pensioners.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780701173203 |
| ISBN 10 | 0701173203 |
| Title | Rupert Hart-Davis |
| Author | Philip Ziegler |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 2004-05-20 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |