Richard Hughes (writer)
Encyclopedia
Richard Arthur Warren Hughes OBE (19 April 1900 – 28 April 1976) was a British
writer of poems, short stories, novels and plays.
He was born in Weybridge
, Surrey
. His father was a civil servant Arthur Hughes, and his mother Louisa Grace Warren who had been brought up in Jamaica. He was educated at Charterhouse
and graduated from Oriel College, Oxford
in 1922.
A Charterhouse schoolmaster had sent Hughes's first published work to The Spectator in 1917. The article, written as a school essay, was an attack on The Loom of Youth, by Alec Waugh
, a recently published novel which caused a furore for its frank account of homosexual passions between British schoolboys in a public school. At Oxford he met Robert Graves
, also an Old Carthusian, and they co-edited a poetry publication, Oxford Poetry
, in 1921. Hughes's short play The Sister's Tragedy was in the West End
at the Royal Court Theatre
by 1922. He was the author of the world's first radio play, Danger, commissioned from him for the BBC
by Nigel Playfair
and broadcast on January 15, 1924.
Hughes was employed as a journalist
and travelled widely before he married, in 1932, the painter Frances Bazley. They settled for a period in Norfolk
and then in 1934 at Castle House, Laugharne
in south Wales
. Dylan Thomas
stayed with Hughes and wrote his book Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog whilst living at Castle House.
He wrote only four novels, the most famous of which is A High Wind in Jamaica (1929), which was first published in the USA
under the title of its successful stage adaptation, The Innocent Voyage. Set in the 19th century, it explores the events which follow the accidental capture of a group of English children by pirates: the children are revealed as considerably more amoral than the pirates (it was in this novel that Hughes first described the cocktail Hangman's Blood
). He wrote an allegorical novel In Hazard (1938), and volumes of children's stories, including The Spider's Palace.
During the Second World War
, Hughes had a desk job in the Admiralty
. He met the architects Jane Drew
and Maxwell Fry
, and Jane and Max's children stayed with the Hughes family for much of that time. After the end of the War, he spent ten years writing scripts for Ealing Studios
, and published no more novels until 1961.
His most important work is perhaps the trilogy The Human Predicament, of which only the first two volumes, The Fox in the Attic
(1961) and The Wooden Shepherdess (1973), were complete when he died; twelve chapters, under 50 pages, of the final volume are now published. In these he follows the course of European history from the 1920s through the Second World War
, including real characters and events — such as Hitler's escape following the abortive Munich putsch
— as well as fictional.
Hughes was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
and, in the United States
, an honorary member of both the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire
) in 1946.
in 1960.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer of poems, short stories, novels and plays.
He was born in Weybridge
Weybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. His father was a civil servant Arthur Hughes, and his mother Louisa Grace Warren who had been brought up in Jamaica. He was educated at Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and graduated from Oriel College, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in 1922.
A Charterhouse schoolmaster had sent Hughes's first published work to The Spectator in 1917. The article, written as a school essay, was an attack on The Loom of Youth, by Alec Waugh
Alec Waugh
Alexander Raban Waugh , was a British novelist, the elder brother of the better-known Evelyn Waugh and son of Arthur Waugh, author, literary critic, and publisher...
, a recently published novel which caused a furore for its frank account of homosexual passions between British schoolboys in a public school. At Oxford he met Robert Graves
Robert Graves
Robert von Ranke Graves 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985 was an English poet, translator and novelist. During his long life he produced more than 140 works...
, also an Old Carthusian, and they co-edited a poetry publication, Oxford Poetry
Oxford Poetry
Oxford Poetry is a literary magazine based in Oxford, England. It is currently edited by Hamid Khanbhai and Thomas A Richards.Founded in 1910 by Basil Blackwell, its editors have included Dorothy L...
, in 1921. Hughes's short play The Sister's Tragedy was in the West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
by 1922. He was the author of the world's first radio play, Danger, commissioned from him for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
by Nigel Playfair
Nigel Playfair
Sir Nigel Playfair was the actor-manager of the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London, in the 1920s. He studied at University College, Oxford....
and broadcast on January 15, 1924.
Hughes was employed as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and travelled widely before he married, in 1932, the painter Frances Bazley. They settled for a period in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and then in 1934 at Castle House, Laugharne
Castle House, Laugharne
Castle House in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, Wales, is a Grade II*–listed Georgian mansion. Described by Dylan Thomas as “the best of houses in the best of places”, it is one of many buildings of note in the medieval township....
in south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
stayed with Hughes and wrote his book Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog whilst living at Castle House.
He wrote only four novels, the most famous of which is A High Wind in Jamaica (1929), which was first published in the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
under the title of its successful stage adaptation, The Innocent Voyage. Set in the 19th century, it explores the events which follow the accidental capture of a group of English children by pirates: the children are revealed as considerably more amoral than the pirates (it was in this novel that Hughes first described the cocktail Hangman's Blood
Hangman's Blood
Hangman's Blood is a drink first described by Richard Hughes in his 1929 novel, A High Wind in Jamaica. According to Hughes,In the 1960s novelist Anthony Burgess described its preparation as follows:...
). He wrote an allegorical novel In Hazard (1938), and volumes of children's stories, including The Spider's Palace.
During the Second World War
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...
, Hughes had a desk job in the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
. He met the architects Jane Drew
Jane Drew
Dame Jane Drew, DBE, FRIBA was an English modernist architect and town planner. She qualified at the AA School in London, and prior to World War II became one of the leading exponents of the Modern Movement in London....
and Maxwell Fry
Maxwell Fry
Edwin Maxwell Fry, CBE, RA, FRIBA, FRTPI, known as Maxwell Fry , was an English modernist architect of the middle and late 20th century, known for his buildings in Britain, Africa and India....
, and Jane and Max's children stayed with the Hughes family for much of that time. After the end of the War, he spent ten years writing scripts for Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
, and published no more novels until 1961.
His most important work is perhaps the trilogy The Human Predicament, of which only the first two volumes, The Fox in the Attic
The Fox in the Attic
The Fox in the Attic is a 1961 novel by Richard Hughes, who is best known for A High Wind in Jamaica. It was the first novel in his unfinished "Human Predicament" trilogy.-Plot summary:The novel opens in 1923...
(1961) and The Wooden Shepherdess (1973), were complete when he died; twelve chapters, under 50 pages, of the final volume are now published. In these he follows the course of European history from the 1920s through the Second World War
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...
, including real characters and events — such as Hitler's escape following the abortive Munich putsch
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
— as well as fictional.
Hughes was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
and, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, an honorary member of both the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
) in 1946.
Family
Robert and Frances Hughes had five children: Robert Elyston-Glodrydd (born 1932), Penelope (1934), Lleky Susannah (1936), Catherine Phyllida (1940) and Owain Gardner Collingwood (1943). Catherine married the historian Colin WellsColin Wells (historian)
Colin Michael Wells was a British historian of ancient Rome, as well as scholar and archaeologist of classical antiquities and Punic.-Biography:...
in 1960.
External links
- Hughes manuscripts collected at Indiana University
- Richard Hughes Information from Inspirational Wales