Robin Linnet - Benson, E. F.

. .

Résumé :
The book starts with a reference to Damon and Pythias, which in the Victorian age -- and apparently also into the first few decades of the 20th century, given this book's publication date -- was code for same-sex love. Here the love that dare not speak its name (but almost does, as is characteristic of Benson's work) is between Robin and his best buddy from (Eton and then) Cambridge. But the bond between the two young men is completely incidental to the main plot: in fact, as the story progresses, it turns out it is primarily about Robin's mother, the rather wonderful Lady Grote and how, when WW1 upsets her pleasure-seeking existence and demands something more of her, she manages to step up to the occasion. The book has excellent characterisation, and is beautifully written, with witty dialogue, lyrical descriptions of the natural world, and an ending a tad too edifying for modern sensibilities. (Aleardo Zanghellini)

Biographie:
Edward Frederic Benson was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, historian, and short story writer. Born on July 24, 1867, in Wellington College, United Kingdom, he was the son of Edward White Benson and Mary Benson. He had three siblings: Arthur Christopher Benson, Robert Hugh Benson, and Margaret Benson. Benson is best known for his Mapp and Lucia series, which explores the lives and rivalries of two women in a small English town. He also wrote the Dodo series and several supernatural horror stories. His works are celebrated for their wit, humor, and insightful portrayal of English society. Benson's literary career spanned a range of genres, including historical fiction, memoir, and supernatural tales. He was recognized for his ability to depict the nuances of social interactions and the complexities of human behavior. Benson passed away on February 29, 1940, in London at the age of 72. His legacy lives on through his extensive contributions to English literature, particularly in the realms of satire and social commentary....

Sommaire:
Edward Frederic Benson OBE (24 July 1867 - 29 February 1940) was a novelist, biographer, memoirist, historian, and short story writer from the United Kingdom. E. F. Benson was the fifth child of Wellington College's headmaster, Edward White Benson (after chancellor of Lincoln Cathedral, Bishop of Truro, and Archbishop of Canterbury), and his wife, Mary Sidgwick (Minnie). E. F. Benson was the younger brother of Arthur Christopher Benson, who penned Land of Hope and Glory, Robert Hugh Benson, who wrote several novels and Roman Catholic apologetic works, and Margaret Benson (Maggie), a novelist and amateur Egyptologist. Benson attended Temple Grove School and subsequently Marlborough College, where he composed some of his early writings and based his novel David Blaize. He pursued his schooling at Cambridge's King's College. He was a member of the Pitt Club at Cambridge and later became an honorary fellow of Magdalene College. Benson was a gifted and prolific writer. Sketches from Marlborough, his first book, was published while he was still a student. He began his novel-writing career with the (then) fashionable controversial Dodo (1893), which was an instant success, and went on to write a range of satire, romantic and supernatural melodrama, and fantasy....