Nigel Heseltine
Encyclopedia
Nigel Heseltine was a Welsh writer, of travel books, short stories
, plays
, and poetry
.
, the son of Philip Heseltine
, the composer better known as Peter Warlock
. There is uncertainty over his birth and parentage, because there is no record of his birth in the hospital where it allegedly took place, his birth was not registered until 1930, and for the first year of his life he was raised by foster-parents. Heseltine himself denied that Warlock's wife Puma was his mother and photos of Heseltine and Warlock show no family resemblance. However, he was undoubtedly brought up by Warlock's mother and stepfather, who believed him to be Warlock's son.
In 1937 he was in Albania
, and in 1938 he married Natalia Borisovna Galitzine or Galitzina, an aristocrat in Budapest
. He married at least four more times. During World War II
he was in Dublin, working as a playwright
for the Olympia Theatre company of Shelagh Richards (1903–1985).
Later he wrote several books about Africa
, including a classic account of crossing the Sahara
.
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
, plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, and poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
.
Biography
Heseltine was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the son of Philip Heseltine
Peter Warlock
Peter Warlock was a pseudonym of Philip Arnold Heseltine , an Anglo-Welsh composer and music critic. He used the pseudonym when composing, and is now better known by this name....
, the composer better known as Peter Warlock
Peter Warlock
Peter Warlock was a pseudonym of Philip Arnold Heseltine , an Anglo-Welsh composer and music critic. He used the pseudonym when composing, and is now better known by this name....
. There is uncertainty over his birth and parentage, because there is no record of his birth in the hospital where it allegedly took place, his birth was not registered until 1930, and for the first year of his life he was raised by foster-parents. Heseltine himself denied that Warlock's wife Puma was his mother and photos of Heseltine and Warlock show no family resemblance. However, he was undoubtedly brought up by Warlock's mother and stepfather, who believed him to be Warlock's son.
In 1937 he was in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, and in 1938 he married Natalia Borisovna Galitzine or Galitzina, an aristocrat in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. He married at least four more times. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was in Dublin, working as a playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
for the Olympia Theatre company of Shelagh Richards (1903–1985).
Later he wrote several books about Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, including a classic account of crossing the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Works
- Scarred Background (a Journey Through Albania) (1938)
- Violent Rain: a Poem The Latin Press (1938)
- The Four-Walled Dream: Poems The Fortune Press (1941)
- Dafydd ap Gwilym, Selected poems (1944, Cuala PressCuala PressThe Cuala Press was an Irish private press set up in 1908 by Elizabeth Yeats with support from her brother William Butler Yeats that played an important role in the Celtic Revival of the early 20th century.-Origins:...
) translator - Tales of the Squirearchy, Druid Press, 1946
- The Mysterious Pregnancy: a novel (published as Inconstant Lady in the U.S.A.) 1953
- From Libyan Sands to Chad (1959)
- Remaking Africa (1961)
- Twenty-five Poems, Dafydd ap Gwilym (1968, Piers Press, reprint of 1944 book) translator
- Madagascar (1971)
- Capriol for Mother, a memoir of Peter Warlock and his family by his son (1992)