Elspeth Huxley: A Biography

by C. S. Nicholls

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A biography of the renowned writer, broadcaster, conservationist and chronicler of colonial Kenya, Elspeth Huxley, who achieved worldwide fame with her memoir The Flame Trees of Thika (1959). Elspeth married Gervas, a grandson of Thomas Huxley and cousin to Julian and Aldous Huxley, whom she knew well. The author, Christine Nicholls, had access to all her letters and papers, and is familiar with many of the people and places in the book.

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2 reviews
Well-researched and well-written with a nice bibliography of colonial era works on Kenya. This might not appeal to readers who are only interested in the Kenyan aspects of Huxley's work, but I found it an interesting insight into a woman who was a professional journalist and novelist during a time period when married mothers were generally not expected to have careers that involved extensive travel away from home. Huxley would leave her husband and child for weeks or even months to do research for projects. Her life was an interesting one with contact with lots of interesting people. A high quality biography, readable but backed by solid research and fact finding. Extensive use of archival material and private papers made it a really show more rich source for people interested in Huxley's real life beyond "The Flame Trees of Thika." show less

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9+ Works 104 Members

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Elspeth Huxley

Classifications

Genres
Biography & Memoir, Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
828.91209Literature & rhetoricEnglish & Old English literaturesEnglish miscellaneous writingsEnglish miscellaneous writings 1900-English miscellaneous writings 1900-1999English miscellaneous writings 1900-1945Individual authors not limited to or chiefly identified with one specific form.
LCC
PR6015 .U92 .Z78Language and LiteratureEnglishEnglish Literature1900-1960
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41
Popularity
713,899
Reviews
2
Rating
½ (4.25)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
4
ASINs
1