Vincent Brome
Encyclopedia
Vincent Brome (14 July 1910 – 16 October 2004) was an English writer, who gradually established himself as a man of letters. He is best known for a series of biographies of politicians, writers and followers of Sigmund Freud
. He also wrote numerous novels, and was a dramatist.
He was born and brought up in London, and educated at Streatham
Grammar School and Elleston School. He failed to enter university, and was found a job at a tea
broker. He left home at 18 determined to write for a living. He took up residence in Bloomsbury
, where he would live for the rest of his life.
. After the war Brome worked under Michael Young as a Labour Party
researcher.
: Clement Attlee
. He went on to receive some critical and commercial success with his second work, H.G. Wells in 1950. Brome went on to chronicle the lives of such men as Sigmund Freud
, Carl Jung
, Frank Harris
, J. B. Priestley
, and Havelock Ellis
to wide acclaim. Two of his literary works, The Surgeon and The Embassy, were international bestsellers. However, his works were not always treated so kindly by critics; his biography of Aneurin Bevan
was particularly poorly received.
Brome was a regular at the British Library
, and was a member of its advisory committee from 1975 until 1982. He was a vocal supporter of the library's move from the British Museum
to its own purpose built building in St. Pancras
, even writing numerous letters to such organs as The Times
and the Times Literary Supplement praising the move.
At the time of his death Brome still occupied the third story flat he had lived in for fifty years despite growing frailty and deafness.
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
. He also wrote numerous novels, and was a dramatist.
He was born and brought up in London, and educated at Streatham
Streatham
Streatham is a district in Surrey, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
Grammar School and Elleston School. He failed to enter university, and was found a job at a tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
broker. He left home at 18 determined to write for a living. He took up residence in Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
, where he would live for the rest of his life.
Early career
Brome began his career as a journalist and magazine editor, his first short story anthology was published in 1936. Having been declared unfit for active duty, he worked for the British Ministry of Information during World War IIWorld 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...
. After the war Brome worked under Michael Young as a Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
researcher.
Literary career
Following the electoral success of the Labour Party in 1945, Brome turned his hand to biography writing. Fittingly, his first subject was the new Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
: Clement Attlee
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
. He went on to receive some critical and commercial success with his second work, H.G. Wells in 1950. Brome went on to chronicle the lives of such men as Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
, Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
, Frank Harris
Frank Harris
Frank Harris was a Irish-born, naturalized-American author, editor, journalist and publisher, who was friendly with many well-known figures of his day...
, J. B. Priestley
J. B. Priestley
John Boynton Priestley, OM , known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. He published 26 novels, notably The Good Companions , as well as numerous dramas such as An Inspector Calls...
, and Havelock Ellis
Havelock Ellis
Henry Havelock Ellis, known as Havelock Ellis , was a British physician and psychologist, writer, and social reformer who studied human sexuality. He was co-author of the first medical textbook in English on homosexuality in 1897, and also published works on a variety of sexual practices and...
to wide acclaim. Two of his literary works, The Surgeon and The Embassy, were international bestsellers. However, his works were not always treated so kindly by critics; his biography of Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin "Nye" Bevan was a British Labour Party politician who was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1959 until his death in 1960. The son of a coal miner, Bevan was a lifelong champion of social justice and the rights of working people...
was particularly poorly received.
Brome was a regular at the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
, and was a member of its advisory committee from 1975 until 1982. He was a vocal supporter of the library's move from the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
to its own purpose built building in St. Pancras
St Pancras, London
St Pancras is an area of London. For many centuries the name has been used for various officially-designated areas, but now is used informally and rarely having been largely superseded by several other names for overlapping districts.-Ancient parish:...
, even writing numerous letters to such organs as The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and the Times Literary Supplement praising the move.
At the time of his death Brome still occupied the third story flat he had lived in for fifty years despite growing frailty and deafness.
Works
- My Favourite Quotation (1936)
- Clement Attlee (1947) biography
- H.G. Wells (1951) biography
- Aneurin Bevan (1953) biography
- The Last Surrender (1954)
- The Way Back; the story of Lieut.-Commander Pat O'Leary, G.C., D.S.O., R.N. (1957) World War II biography
- Six Studies in Quarrelling (1958)
- Frank Harris (1959) biography
- Sometimes at Night (1959)
- We Have Come a Long Way (1962)
- The Problem of Progress (1963)
- Love in Our Time (1964)
- Four Realist Novelists : Arthur MorrisonArthur MorrisonArthur George Morrison was an English author and journalist known for his realistic novels about London's East End and for his detective stories....
, Edwin Pugh, Richard WhiteingRichard WhiteingRichard Whiteing , English author and journalist.-Biography:Richard Whiteing was born in London the son of Mary Lander and William Whiteing, a civil servant employed as an Inland Revenue Officer...
, William Pett RidgeWilliam Pett RidgeWilliam Pett Ridge , English author, was born at Chartham, near Canterbury, Kent, on 22 April 1859, and was educated at Marden, Kent, and at the Birkbeck Institute, London....
(1965) - The International Brigades : Spain 1936-1939 (1966) history
- Freud and His Early Circle (1967) biography
- The World of Luke Simpson (1967)
- The Surgeon (1967) novel, "The operating theater" in the U.S.
- The Revolution (1969)
- Confessions of a Writer (1970) autobiography
- Reverse your Verdict: a collection of private prosecutions (1971)
- The Brain Operators (1971)
- The Ambassador and the Spy (1973) novel
- The Day of Destruction (1974)
- The Happy Hostage (1976)
- Jung: man and myth (1978) biography
- Havelock Ellis: philosopher of sex (1981) biography
- Ernest Jones: Freud's alter ego (1982) biography
- The Day of the Fifth Moon (1984) historical novel
- J.B. Priestley (1988) biography
- The Other Pepys (1992) biography
- Love in the Plague (2001)
- Retribution (2001)