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562:(1932) deals at length with the construction of the reservoirs themselves. The series expanded into a wide-ranging study of Midlands society from the 1890s through to the outbreak of the Second World War. Although linked by recurring characters, each of the Mercian novels can be read as an independent work. They range in style from the atmospheric psychological horror of
937:
Archives of
Francis Brett Young are held at the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham. The archive collection includes a large number of letters, many of which are from prominent figures of the twentieth century, as well as typescript copies of his poems.
486:
Like many authors he used the places and occupations he knew as the backdrops for his work. There is much description of the sea, war and medical practice set in places as far apart as the West
Midlands and West Country of England and South Africa.
217:, in 1907. Established in his first secure job, he was able to be secretly married to Hankinson in December 1908. She was also a singer and he accompanied her, as well as composing two sets of songs for her, published in 1912 and 1913.
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novels, the
Mercian novels are unified by their setting—a semi-fictionalised realisation of an actual geographical region. While some actual place-names appear unchanged (e.g.,
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as an alternative winter retreat. When war came in 1939, Craycombe House was requisitioned by the Red Cross and turned into a convalescent home for the armed services.
268:
Unable to work as a doctor, he decided to devote himself to his writing, and in 1919 he began the first of his
Mercian novels. From 1920, the couple went to live in
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182:. His father, Thomas Brett Young, was a doctor and his mother also came from a medical family, so it was natural that he go to the school for the sons of doctors,
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226:, was a collaboration with his younger brother, Eric. Eric subsequently forged a writing career of his own which, while less successful, produced novels such as
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352:, South Africa. The climate suited him, and he was even able to complete the writing of a non-fiction guide book for the South African Tourist Board.
308:, which was vital due to his poor health. This changed as Italy became fascist and war approached, and in 1937 he purchased Talland House between
304:, which he was able to buy and slowly renovate due to his continuing success as a writer. His income also enabled him to spend the winters in
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The central project of
Francis Brett Young's career was a series of linked novels set in a loosely fictionalised version of the English
253:), but was invalided out in 1918, and no longer able to practise medicine. His own account of these wartime events is given in his book
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This Little World: The Value of the Novels of
Francis Brett Young as a Guide to the State of Midland Society, 1870-1925
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The winters and wartime privations in
England had taken their toll on his poor health. In October 1944, having seen
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186:. He was there when, at fourteen, he suffered the death of his beloved mother. He later went on to train at the
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333:. The entire first edition of 23,500 sold out immediately, even in wartime conditions, and was then reprinted.
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627:= River Garon). Other locations appear to be fictional conflations of various real-world places; e.g., the
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on 28 March 1954, aged 69. He was cremated and his ashes were returned to
England, and are buried in
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to become a qualified physician. He met his future wife, Jessie
Hankinson, while he was lodging at
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of
England. They returned to live in England, initially as neighbours of fellow novelist
1198:, Bibliotheek van de Eerste Wereldoorlog, at Dulce et Decorum. Accessed 11 October 2013.
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552:(1921) tells the story of a labourer working on the aqueduct in the region around
506:(1927) is set in the West Midlands, as are several of his works from this period.
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from 1893 to 1904, and the country traversed by their associated aqueduct.
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but located by the author in the Stour Valley (and seemingly unrelated to
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through to publication, he had a serious heart attack. At the end of the
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259:; passages censored from that book were later covertly used in his novel
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536:. The Mercian novels were originally inspired by the construction of
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Several of his books were adapted for film and television, including
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296:. Then, from 1932, they settled at the dilapidated Craycombe House,
202:(the former home of William Shenstone, the author he most admired).
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town of Wednesford; resembling in many respects the actual town of
305:
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214:
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178:. He received his early education at Iona, a private school in
375:
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325:, recounting in verse the whole history of Britain from the
27:
English novelist, poet, playwright, and composer (1884–1954)
319:
In 1944, near to the war's end, he published his epic poem
272:
until 1929 but also travelled widely, including trips to
1319:Military personnel from the West Midlands (county)
611:), most locations appear under a fictional name (
205:He started medical practice on the steamship SS
1085:- Francis Brett Young, House of Stratus, 2003;
1043:; Preface - Francis Brett Young; Collins, 1921
8:
1036:
1034:
288:, a country house, still standing, south of
410:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
94:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
1299:James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients
284:in the Lake District. Here they lived in
474:Learn how and when to remove this message
158:Learn how and when to remove this message
643:but described by him as overlooking the
1018:
276:, the United States and summers in the
1284:Alumni of the University of Birmingham
194:in Birmingham and she was training at
33:(29 June 1884 – 28 March 1954) was an
1289:British Army personnel of World War I
1221:Works by or about Francis Brett Young
657:List of novels of Francis Brett Young
7:
408:adding citations to reliable sources
196:Anstey College of Physical Education
92:adding citations to reliable sources
696:(With General Smuts in East Africa)
1058:; Chapter IX—H. P. Lovecraft, ed.
25:
1314:Royal Army Medical Corps officers
1274:20th-century English male writers
1055:Supernatural Horror in Literature
570:) to the romantic family saga of
249:(he was a medical officer of the
1237:
1164:Francis Brett Young: A Biography
380:
170:Francis Brett Young was born in
64:
1187:The Francis Brett Young Society
1128:"UoB Calmview5: Search results"
1103:"UoB Calmview5: Search results"
942:Film and television adaptations
928:(1956 - published posthumously)
906:(1942), play and film both 1947
578:James Tait Black Memorial Prize
914:(1944) (written in epic verse)
667:(with Eric Brett Young) (1913)
576:(1927), which won that year's
220:His first attempt at a novel,
1:
1230:Works by Francis Brett Young
1211:Works by Francis Brett Young
1202:Works by Francis Brett Young
984:Aston Rowant railway station
1236:(public domain audiobooks)
1335:
1279:20th-century English poets
654:
490:His first published novel
999:British television series
831:The House Under the Water
559:The House Under the Water
512:(1916) is set partly in
247:Royal Army Medical Corps
198:, then housed in nearby
188:University of Birmingham
1026:British Medical Journal
990:as a filming location.
962:James Robertson Justice
823:Mr. and Mrs. Pennington
744:(1921) Collins, London
542:Elan Valley Reservoirs
500:as a background while
52:, doctor and soldier.
1309:People from Hawkshead
1304:People from Halesowen
1194:Dutch translation of
1162:Jessica Brett Young.
903:A Man About the House
879:Dr. Bradley Remembers
863:Portrait of a Village
423:"Francis Brett Young"
251:2nd Rhodesia Regiment
107:"Francis Brett Young"
895:Mr. Lucton's Freedom
404:improve this section
292:on the west side of
88:improve this section
1245:Francis Brett Young
1157:Francis Brett Young
1132:calmview.bham.ac.uk
1107:calmview.bham.ac.uk
997:was adapted into a
995:My Brother Jonathan
982:. Both films used
949:My Brother Jonathan
871:They Seek a Country
799:My Brother Jonathan
711:The Young Physician
366:Worcester Cathedral
232:The Dancing Beggars
228:The Murder at Fleet
31:Francis Brett Young
1294:English male poets
698:(1917), war memoir
615:= North Bromwich,
566:(1924; praised by
243:German East Africa
241:he saw service in
1206:Project Gutenberg
1196:Marching on Tanga
1064:Hippocampus Press
1041:The Black Diamond
1007:Barbara Kellerman
972:Margaret Johnston
967:Portrait of Clare
839:This Little World
783:Portrait of Clare
733:The Black Diamond
703:The Crescent Moon
694:Marching on Tanga
623:= Dulston; River
573:Portrait of Clare
549:The Black Diamond
503:Portrait of Clare
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483:
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458:
331:Battle of Britain
256:Marching on Tanga
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16:(Redirected from
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1225:Internet Archive
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1003:Daniel Day-Lewis
970:(1950) starring
952:(1948) starring
887:The City of Gold
725:The Tragic Bride
718:Poems, 1916-1918
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791:The Key of Life
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568:H. P. Lovecraft
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464:November 2022
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389:This section
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148:November 2022
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73:This section
71:
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62:
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55:
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1249:Find a Grave
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1135:. Retrieved
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1110:. Retrieved
1106:
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1083:Cold Harbour
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994:
992:
980:Robin Bailey
976:Richard Todd
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847:White Ladies
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759:Cold Harbour
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686:The Iron Age
684:
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585:Thomas Hardy
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564:Cold Harbour
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509:The Iron Age
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418:
402:Please help
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344:he moved to
337:
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282:Hugh Walpole
274:South Africa
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200:The Leasowes
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86:Please help
74:
30:
29:
1269:1954 deaths
1264:1884 births
1060:S. T. Joshi
988:Oxfordshire
958:Dulcie Gray
815:Jim Redlake
807:Black Roses
664:Undergrowth
619:= Halesby;
496:(1914) has
360:He died in
350:Klein Karoo
262:Jim Redlake
237:During the
223:Undergrowth
1258:Categories
1215:Faded Page
1112:13 January
925:Wistanslow
911:The Island
855:Far Forest
775:Sea Horses
655:See also:
651:Main works
637:Hednesford
633:Wednesbury
613:Birmingham
605:Shrewsbury
538:Birmingham
518:Shropshire
434:newspapers
338:The Island
327:Bronze Age
322:The Island
118:newspapers
46:playwright
1001:starring
767:Woodsmoke
617:Halesowen
609:Worcester
391:does not
362:Cape Town
290:Hawkshead
192:Edgbaston
172:Halesowen
75:does not
1234:LibriVox
1217:(Canada)
1066:, 2000;
993:In 1985
933:Archives
672:Deep Sea
556:, while
554:Knighton
493:Deep Sea
314:Polperro
298:Fladbury
50:composer
38:novelist
1223:at the
1176:(1982).
1166:(1962).
1159:(1997).
1137:22 June
601:Malvern
498:Brixham
448:scholar
412:removed
397:sources
348:in the
346:Montagu
329:to the
245:in the
211:Brixham
207:Kintuck
132:scholar
96:removed
81:sources
35:English
1089:
1070:
964:; and
920:(1952)
898:(1940)
890:(1939)
882:(1938)
874:(1937)
866:(1937)
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842:(1934)
834:(1932)
826:(1931)
818:(1930)
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675:(1914)
641:Hagley
621:Dudley
597:Ludlow
589:Wessex
514:Ludlow
450:
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127:
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105:
1013:Notes
583:Like
455:JSTOR
441:books
356:Death
306:Capri
270:Capri
215:Devon
139:JSTOR
125:books
1139:2021
1114:2021
1087:ISBN
1068:ISBN
1005:and
978:and
960:and
625:Elan
532:and
427:news
395:any
393:cite
372:Work
312:and
310:Looe
230:and
111:news
79:any
77:cite
56:Life
42:poet
1247:at
1232:at
1213:at
1204:at
986:in
587:'s
406:by
90:by
1260::
1172:.
1130:.
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1062:;
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1009:.
974:,
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84:.
20:)
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