Elspeth Joscelin Huxley CBE (née Grant; 23 July 1907 – 10 January 1997) was an English writer, journalist, broadcaster, magistrate, environmentalist, farmer, and government adviser. She wrote over 40 books, including her best-known lyrical books, ''The Flame Trees of Thika'' and ''The Mottled Lizard'', based on her youth in a coffee farm in

British Kenya British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. Her husband, Gervas Huxley, was a grandson of

Thomas Henry Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) was an English biologist and anthropologist specialising in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The stori ...

and a cousin of

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxle ...

Early life and education

Nellie and Major Josceline Grant, Elspeth's parents, arrived in

Thika Thika Thika (pronounced �θika is an industrial town and a major commerce hub in Kiambu County, Kenya, lying on the A2 road 42 kilometres (26 mi) Northeast of Nairobi, near the confluence of the Thika and Chania Rivers. Although Thika town is ...

in what was then

British East Africa East Africa Protectorate (also known as British East Africa) was an area in the African Great Lakes occupying roughly the same terrain as present-day Kenya from the Indian Ocean inland to the border with Uganda in the west. Controlled by Bri ...

in 1912, to start a life as coffee farmers in colonial Kenya. Elspeth, aged six, arrived in December 1913, complete with governess and maid. Her upbringing was unconventional; she was "almost treated as a parcel, being passed from hand to hand". Huxley's 1959 book ''The Flame Trees of Thika'' explores how unprepared for rustic life the early British settlers really were. It was adapted into a television miniseries in 1981. Elspeth was educated at a whites-only school in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ...

. She left Africa in 1925, earning a degree in agriculture at

Reading University The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

in England and studying at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York (state), New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upsta ...

. She returned to Africa periodically.

Career

Huxley was appointed Assistant Press Officer to the

Empire Marketing Board The Empire Marketing Board was formed in May 1926 by the Colonial Secretary Leo Amery to promote intra-Empire trade and to persuade consumers to 'Buy Empire'. It was established as a substitute for tariff reform and protectionist legislation and ...

in 1929. She resigned her post in 1932 and travelled widely. Huxley started writing soon after her marriage; her first book, ''White Man's Country: Lord Delamere and the making of Kenya'' about the famous white settler, was published in 1935. Huxley's 1939 book '' Red Strangers'' describes life among the

Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language. It may also refer to: *Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya *Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people *Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Centr ...

of Kenya around the time of the arrival of the first European settlers. The manuscript was sent first to the publisher

Macmillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMillan ...

, but

Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986) was a British Conservative statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Caricatured as " Supermac", ...

, then working for the family firm, agreed to publish it only with considerable cuts, including a graphic description of

female circumcision Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...

. Huxley refused, and the book was published by

Chatto & Windus Chatto & Windus is an imprint of Penguin Random House that was formerly an independent book publishing company founded in London in 1855 by John Camden Hotten. Following Hotten's death, the firm would reorganize under the names of his business ...

. Huxley remembered: "It was indeed a happy day for me when our future Prime Minister couldn't take

clitoridectomy Clitoridectomy or clitorectomy is the surgical removal, reduction, or partial removal of the clitoris. It is rarely used as a therapeutic medical procedure, such as when cancer has developed in or spread to the clitoris. It is often performed on ...

." The book was republished by Penguin Books in 1999 and again by

Penguin Classics Penguin Classics is an imprint of Penguin Books under which classic works of literature are published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean among other languages. Literary critics see books in this series as important members of the West ...

in 2000;

Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford and was Professor for Public Understanding of Science in the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008. An ...

played an important role in getting the book republished, and wrote a preface to the new edition. Her final tally of 42 books included the ten works of fiction and 29 non-fiction books, as well as thousands of pamphlets and articles. During the Second World War, Huxley was a broadcaster for the BBC. In 1960, Huxley was appointed an independent member of the Advisory Commission for the Review of the Constitution of the

Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation or CAF, was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the self-governing British colony of Southern Rhodesia and the B ...

(the

Monckton Commission The Monckton Commission, officially the Advisory Commission for the Review of the Constitution of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, was set up by the British government under the chairmanship of Walter Monckton, 1st Viscount Monckton of Bre ...

). Although she was initially an advocate of continued

colonial rule Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colony, colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose the ...

, she later called for the independence of African nations. In the 1960s, she served as a correspondent for the ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...

'' magazine. Huxley was a friend of

Joy Adamson Friederike Victoria "Joy" Adamson ( Gessner; 20 January 1910 – 3 January 1980) was a naturalist, artist and author. Her book, ''Born Free'', describes her experiences raising a lion cub named Elsa. ''Born Free'' was printed in several langua ...

, the author of ''

Born Free ''Born Free'' is a 1966 British drama film starring the real-life couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, another real-life couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her in ...

'', and is mentioned in the biography of Joy and

George Adamson George Alexander Graham Adamson MBE (3 February 1906 – 20 August 1989), also known as the ''Baba ya Simba'' ("Father of Lions" in Swahili), was a Kenyan wildlife conservationist and author. He and his wife, Joy, were depicted in the film '' ...

entitled ''The Great Safari''. Huxley wrote the foreword to Joy's autobiography ''The Searching Spirit''.

Personal life

She married Gervas Huxley, the son of doctor Henry Huxley (1865–1946) in 1931. They had one son, Charles, who was born in February 1944.

Death and legacy

Huxley died on 10 January 1997 aged 89, in a nursing home at Tetbury in Gloucestershire, England. A collection of twelve boxes of photographs, prints, negatives, contact prints and slides is held at

Bristol Archives Bristol Archives (formerly Bristol Record Office) was established in 1924. It was the first borough record office in the United Kingdom, since at that time there was only one other local authority record office (Bedfordshire) in existence. It ...

in the British Empire and Commonwealth Collection. Most of the photographs were taken by Huxley, with the rest collected by her. The collection covers Huxley's whole career (1896-1981) and subject matter includes

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

n safari landscapes and local people (specifically the

Kikuyu people The Kikuyu (also ''Agĩkũyũ/Gĩkũyũ'') are a Bantu ethnic group native to Central Kenya. At a population of 8,148,668 as of 2019, they account for 17.13% of the total population of Kenya, making them Kenya's largest ethnic group. The t ...

), the

Mau Mau uprising The Mau Mau rebellion (1952–1960), also known as the Mau Mau uprising, Mau Mau revolt or Kenya Emergency, was a war in the British Kenya Colony (1920–1963) between the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), also known as the ''Mau Mau'', an ...

, white settlers, Edwardian

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town ...

, and a transcript of an oral history interview taken by the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum (Ref. 1995/076)
online catalogue
. Other collections related to Huxley can be found at the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the sec ...

and

Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of the over 100 libraries within the university. The Library is a major scholarly resource for the members of the University of Cambri ...

Department of Manuscripts and University Archives. Christine S. Nicholls wrote ''Elspeth Huxley: A Biography'', published by Harper Collins in 2002.

Honours

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, 1962.

Works

Fiction

* ''Murder at Government House'' (1937) * ''Murder on Safari'' (1938) * ''Death of an Aryan'' (U.S.:''The African Poison Murders'') (1939) * '' Red Strangers'' (1939) * ''The Walled City'' (1948) * ''A Thing to Love'' (1954) * ''The Red Rock Wilderness'' (1957) * ''The Merry Hippo'' (U.S.: ''The Incident at the Merry Hippo'') (1963) * ''A Man from Nowhere'' (1964) * ''The Prince Buys the Manor'' (1982)

Non-fiction

* ''White Man's Country: Lord Delamere and the Making of Kenya'' (1935) *EAST AFRICA (1941) * ''Atlantic Ordeal: The Story of Mary Cornish'' (1941) * ''African Dilemmas'' (1948) * ''Settlers of Kenya'' (1948) * ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice: A Journey Through Africa'' (1948) * ''I Don't Mind If I Do'' (1950) * ''Four Guineas: A Journey Through West Africa'' (1954) * ''No Easy Way: A History of the Kenyan Farmers' Association and UNGA Limited'' (1957) * ''

The Flame Trees of Thika ''The Flame Trees of Thika'' is a British television serial of seven 50-minute episodes made by Euston Films for Thames Television in 1981. It was adapted by John Hawkesworth from the 1959 book of the same title by Elspeth Huxley, and is set ...

: Memories of an African Childhood'' (1959) * ''A New Earth: An Experiment in Colonialism'' (1960) * ''The Mottled Lizard'' (U.S.: ''On the Edge of the Rift: Memories of Kenya'') (1962) * ''Back Street New Worlds: A Look at Immigrants in Britain'' (1964) * ''With Forks and Hope: An African Notebook'' (1964) * ''Brave New Victuals: An Inquiry into Modern Food Production'' (1965) * ''Their Shining Eldorado: A Journey Through Australia'' (1967) * ''Love among the Daughters'' (1968) * ''The Challenge of Africa'' (1971) * ''The Kingsleys: A Biographical Anthology'' (1973) * ''Livingstone and His African Journeys'' (1974) * ''Florence Nightingale'' (1975) * ''Gallipot Eyes: A Wiltshire Diary'' (1976) * ''Scott of the Antarctic'' (1978) * ''Nellie: Letters from Africa'' (1980) * ''Whipsnade: Captive Breeding for Survival'' (1981) * ''Last Days in Eden'' aka ''De Laatsten in de Hof van Eden'' (1984) with

Hugo van Lawick Hugo Arndt Rodolf, Baron van Lawick (10 April 1937 – 2 June 2002) was a Dutch wildlife filmmaker and photographer. Through his still photographs and films, Van Lawick helped popularize the study of chimpanzees during his wife Jane Goodall' ...

* ''Out in the Midday Sun: My Kenya'' (1985) * ''Nine Faces of Kenya: Portrait of a Nation'' (1990) * ''

Peter Scott Sir Peter Markham Scott, (14 September 1909 – 29 August 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer, broadcaster and sportsman. The only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, he took an interest i ...

: Painter and Naturalist'' (1993)

References

Bibliography

*Giffuni, Cathe. "A Bibliography of the Mystery Writings of Elspeth Huxley," Clues: Volume 12 No. 2 Fall/Winter 1991, pp. 45–49.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Huxley, Elspeth 1907 births 1997 deaths Kenyan women writers Cornell University alumni Alumni of the University of Reading Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Elspeth 20th-century Kenyan women writers 20th-century Kenyan writers Women biographers Women mystery writers British Kenya people Kenyan women novelists Kenyan novelists 20th-century novelists 20th-century biographers