Gilbert Frankau (21 April 1884 – 4 November 1952) was a popular British novelist. He was known also for verse (he was a

war poet A war poet is a poet who participates in a war and writes about their experiences, or a non-combatant who writes poems about war. While the term is applied especially to those who served during the First World War, the term can be applied to a p ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

), including a number of

verse novel A verse novel is a type of narrative poetry in which a novel-length narrative is told through the medium of poetry rather than prose. Either simple or complex stanzaic verse-forms may be used, but there will usually be a large cast, multiple voi ...

s, and short stories. He was born in London into a Jewish family but was baptised as an Anglican at the age of 13. After education at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

, he went into the family cigar business and became managing director on his twenty-first birthday, his father, Arthur Frankau, having died in November 1904. A few months before his death, at sixty-eight, from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

, he converted to Roman Catholicism.

Career

Frankau served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

from the outbreak of war in 1914. He was first commissioned in the 9th Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment on 6 October 1914, then transferred into the Royal Field Artillery in March 1915. He went to the Western Front as a brigade adjutant and fought in major battles of the British Expeditionary Force – Loos,

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality c ...

and the Somme in France and Belgium – and wrote for the ''

Wipers Times ''The Wipers Times'' was a trench magazine that was published by British soldiers fighting in the Ypres Salient during the First World War. In early 1916, the 12th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters stationed in the front line at Ypres, Belgium, came ...

''. He was later promoted a

staff captain Staff captain is the English translation of a number of military ranks: Historical use of the rank Czechoslovakia In the Czechoslovak Army, until 1953, Staff Captain ( cs, štábní kapitán, sk, štábny kapitán) was a senior captain ran ...

in October 1916 for special duty in Italy. He was invalided out on 22 February 1918. His later used his wartime experiences in novels. The family business did not survive the war; Frankau became a writer. His novels, while having conventional romantic content, also contained material from his own conservative politics and meditations on Jewish identity in the climate of the times. Some of them were filmed (see '' Christopher Strong''; ''If I Marry Again'' was based on a short story). His status as a divorcé (he married three times) frustrated his political ambitions the Conservative Party of the time did not regard divorce as acceptable. His outspoken criticism of Stanley Baldwin also did not endear him to the Tory leadership. Recalling the 1920s, Gilbert Frankau wrote: "Political journalism meant more to me than my novels and short stories. Only fiction, however, could make me enough money to gratify my supreme ambition a seat in the House." In 1928, he was invited by the then proprietor of "The Great Eight" a group of weeklies including ''

Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...

'', ''

The Graphic ''The Graphic'' was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Ltd. Thomas's brother Lewis Samuel Thomas was a co-founder. The premature death of the latt ...

'' and ''

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication i ...

'' to launch a new Right-wing weekly newspaper, ''Britannia''. Frankau threw himself into this venture with characteristic energy, but it was not a success. After he had been unceremoniously removed from his post, ''Time'' gleefully reported: "Twirling his glass of sherry, Gilbert 'Swankau' Frankau alibied: "'As the founder of ''Britannia'' ip I said what I thought, without fear or favour. Evidently, I am against lots of people ip for I believe in everything British! That was what ''Britannia'' stood for while I held her helm.' "Actually the Frankau weekly ''Britannia'' stood not for but against everything British or foreign which did not come within the extreme Fascist fringe of the little

Semite Semitic most commonly refers to the Semitic languages, a name used since the 1770s to refer to the language family currently present in West Asia, North and East Africa, and Malta. Semitic may also refer to: Religions * Abrahamic religions ** ...

's whims. He was 'agin' the Government of Conservative Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, 'agin' the

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during ...

Liberals, 'agin' the Ramsay MacDonald Laborites..." In the aftermath of this disappointment, Gilbert Frankau according to his own account approached a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician he "knew to be rather close to Stanley Baldwin", offering to stand for

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

at his own expense in the forthcoming General Election, but was advised: "'I'd better be frank with you. As a divorced man, you could never be adopted by the Conservative party. If you're so keen on a political career, I should try the Labour people. They're not so particular.'" Frankau remained a staunch Right-winger, however. In 1933, his notorious '' Daily Express'' article "As a Jew I am Not Against Hitler" was published shortly after

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

had come to power in Germany; he later retracted his position. In fact, this particular piece was more balanced than the headline now appears: "Time alone will tell whether the little Austrian with the Charlie Chaplin moustache is a mere spellbinder or a statesman", comments Frankau, ending with the poignant question, "who are we, the great expounders of democracy, and how are we, already disarmed to the point of national danger, to interfere?" His autobiography, completed in August 1939, includes emphatically anti-German comments, such as: "The Pomper of Potsdam looked all of a warlord, even if he did bolt to

Doorn Doorn is a town in the municipality of Utrechtse Heuvelrug in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. History In a document from 885 to 896, the settlement is called "Thorhem", dwelling of Thor, the God of Thunder. Vikings quart ...

like a rabbit. The Neurasthenic of Nuremberg and his gangster stooges look – the hooligans they are." On the eve of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Frankau was commissioned into the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in August 1939. He was promoted Squadron Leader in April 1940 but invalided from the service in February 1941. He was awarded permanent disability retired pay in 1944, in the meantime having served in the 14th (

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting w ...

) Battalion of the

Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot a ...

from 1942. Few of his literary works have survived in reputation.

Family

His mother,

Julia Frankau Julia Frankau (née Davis; 30 July 1859 – 17 March 1916) was a successful novelist who wrote under the name Frank Danby. Her first novel was published in 1887: ''Dr. Phillips: A Maida Vale Idyll''. Its portrayal of London Jews and Jewish l ...

(1859–1916), sister of Mrs Aria and Owen Hall, wrote under the name Frank Danby (and is said to have collaborated with George Moore). His mother was an associate of Oscar Wilde. His youngest daughter from his first marriage, Pamela Frankau, was also a successful writer. His eldest daughter Ursula D'Arch Smith (Nee Frankau) wrote under the name Mary Nicholson. Her son Timothy d'Arch Smith, writer and bibliographer, is a grandson. His brother was comedian

Ronald Frankau Ronald Hugh Wyndham Frankau (22 February 1894 – 11 September 1951) was an English comedian who started in cabaret and made his way to radio and films. Family Frankau was born in London, the third child of Arthur Frankau, son of Joseph Fra ...

. His sister was the

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

don

Joan Bennett Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27, 1910 – December 7, 1990) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She came from a show-business family, one of three acting sisters. Beginning her career on the stage, Bennett appeared in more t ...

(1896–1986), one of the "constellation of critics" called by the

defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indus ...

in the

Lady Chatterley Trial ''R v Penguin Books Ltd'' was the public prosecution in the United Kingdom of Penguin Books under the ''Obscene Publications Act 1959'' for the publication of D. H. Lawrence's 1928 novel ''Lady Chatterley's Lover''. The trial took place over ...

.Michael Squires (ed.), ''Lady Chatterley's Lover'' and "À Propos of ''Lady Chatterley's Lover''", Cambridge University Press 1993, Introduction pp''xxxviii-xxxix'' His niece was the actress Rosemary Frankau.

Works

*''Eton Echoes'' (1901) poems *''The XYZ of Bridge'' (1906) *''Jack – One of Us: A Novel in Verse'' (1912) also as ''One of Us'' *''Tid'apa'' (What Does It Matter?) (1914) *''A Song of the Guns in Flanders'' (1916) poems *''How Rifleman Brown Came To Valhalla'' (1916) *''The Woman of the Horizon: A Romance of Nineteen-Thirteen'' (1917) *''One of Them: A Novelette in Verse'' (1918) *''The Judgement of Valhalla'' (1918) *''The Other Side, and Other Poems'' (1918) *''The City of Fear and Other Poems'' (1918) *''Peter Jackson, Cigar Merchant: A Romance of Married Life'' (1919) *''The Seeds of Enchantment'' (1921) *'' The Love Story of Aliette Brunton'' (1922) *''Men, Maids and Mustard Pot'' (1923) short stories *''Peter Jameson: A Modern Romance'' (1923) *''Poetical Works'' (1923) *''

Gerald Cranston's Lady ''Gerald Cranston's Lady'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Emmett J. Flynn and starring James Kirkwood, Alma Rubens, and Walter McGrail. It is based on the novel of the same title by Gilbert Frankau published the same year a ...

'' (1924) *''Life – and Erica: A Romance'' (1924) *''The Dominant Type of Man'' (1925) non-fiction *''My Unsentimental Journey'' (1926) *''Masterson, a Story of an English Gentleman'' (1926) *''Twelve Tales'' (1927) *''So Much Good: A Novel in a New Manner'' (1928) *''Martin Make-Believe'' (1930) *''Dance, Little Gentleman!'' (1930) *''Concerning Peter Jackson and Others'' (c.1930) *'' Christopher Strong'' (1932), adapted into a 1933 film directed by

Dorothy Arzner Dorothy Emma Arzner (January 3, 1897 – October 1, 1979) was an American film director whose career in Hollywood spanned from the silent era of the 1920s into the early 1940s. With the exception of longtime silent film director Lois Weber (who d ...

, '' Christopher Strong,'' starring Katharine Hepburn in her second screen role. *''Wine, Women And Waiters'' (1932) *''The Lonely Man: A Romance of Love and the Secret Service'' (1932) *''Secret Services: A Collection of Tales'' (1934) *''Everywoman'' (1934) *''A Century of Love Stories'' (c.1935) editor *'' Farewell Romance'' (1936) *''Three Stories of Romance'' (1936) with Warwick Deeping and Ethel Mannin *''Experiments in Crime and Other Stories'' (1937) *''More of Us: Being the Present-Day Adventures of "One of Us": A Novel in Verse'' (1937) *''The Dangerous Years: A Trilogy'' (1937) *''Royal Regiment: A Drama of Contemporary Behaviours'' (1938) *''Gilbert Frankau's Self Portrait: A Novel of His Own Life'' (1940) *''

Winter of Discontent The Winter of Discontent was the period between November 1978 and February 1979 in the United Kingdom characterised by widespread strikes by private, and later public, sector trade unions demanding pay rises greater than the limits Prime Minis ...

'' (1942) as ''Air Ministry Room 28'' (1942) in the United States *''World Without End'' (1942) *''Escape to Yesterday'' (1942) *''Selected Verses'' (1943) *''Three Englishman: A Romance of Married Lives'' (1935), (Re-issued with slight emendations December 1944) *''Michael's Wife'' (1948) *''Son of the Morning'' (1949) *''Oliver Trenton K.C.'' (1951) *''Unborn Tomorrow: A Last Story'' (1953) *''The Peter Jackson Omnibus''

References

*Hugh Cecil, ''The Flower of Battle: British Fiction Writers of the First World War'' (Secker & Warburg, 1995) - chapter 8

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frankau, Gilbert 1884 births 1952 deaths English Jewish writers People educated at Eton College British Army personnel of World War I East Surrey Regiment officers Royal Field Artillery officers British World War I poets 20th-century English male writers English male poets English male novelists 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English poets Converts to Anglicanism from Judaism English people of Jewish descent Writers from London Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Royal Air Force squadron leaders British Army personnel of World War II Royal Sussex Regiment soldiers British Home Guard soldiers Military personnel from London Frankau family