Clifford Henry Benn Kitchin (1895-1967) was a British novelist of the early twentieth century. He was best known for his mystery novels, notably Death of His Uncle and Death of My Aunt, but his novels were also highly regarded, especially by other writers. His best known novels are The Auction Sale, Streamers Waving, and Mr. Balcony. He was one of Francis King's two mentors, the other being J. R. Ackerley.
Kitchin led a varied and colourful life. He was born into wealth and increased his wealth through investment in the stock market. He used his wealth to take part in many different fields, including the breeding and racing of greyhounds, in which he was briefly an important figure. After his death his work faded into obscurity, although what few references there are to it today seem to be uniformly laudatory.
For [Kitchin], the ideal life is a life given up to contemplation and fine feeling, and symbolized by the picture entitled The Pleasures of Love and Retirement which Miss Elton takes away at the end as a memento of her stay in Mrs.
Kitchin's assessment of the value of gentility is ultimately irrelevant, since he was in fact not writing about a specific ideal, but about the effects of ideals in general.
Kitchin's analysis of his theme is in no sense profound (the literary department couldn't have understood if it had been), but it is intelligent and humane.
Feeds |
Contact