Edric Cecil Mornington Roberts (18 May 1892 – 20 December 1976) was an English journalist, poet, dramatist and novelist. He was born and grew up in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

Working career

Roberts published his first volume of poems, with a preface by

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer. He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967, during which time he lived at Burcot, Oxfordshire, near Abingdon ...

, in 1913. He published his first novel, ''Scissors,'' in 1923. By the 1930s, Roberts was an established bestselling author. His work was translated into 12 languages. He worked as a journalist on the '' Liverpool Post'' during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, initially as literary editor, then as a

war correspondent A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories first-hand from a war, war zone. War correspondence stands as one of journalism's most important and impactful forms. War correspondents operate in the most conflict-ridden parts of the wor ...

. For five years from 1920 he edited the daily '' Nottingham Journal''. In 1922 he stood for Parliament for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

. In the 1930s he reviewed books for The Sphere. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Roberts worked for

Lord Halifax Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax (16 April 1881 – 23 December 1959), known as the Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and the Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was a British Conservative politician of the 1930s. He h ...

, UK Ambassador to the United States. Despite a prolific output and the popularity of his writings in his lifetime, they are almost wholly forgotten. His novels have been criticized for thin plots and cardboard characters, padded out with

travel writing The genre of travel literature or travelogue encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs. History Early examples of travel literature include the '' Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (generally considered a ...

Personal life

Roberts said that on coming of age he drew up a list of aims for his next 15 years, which included a solid career as a novelist, membership of Parliament, ownership of a

country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

and a London pied-à-terre, and marriage with two sons and a daughter. Some were achieved, but not the last. In private he claimed proudly to have been a lover of

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

, Baron

Gottfried von Cramm Gottfried Alexander Maximilian Walter Kurt Freiherr von Cramm (; 7 July 1909 – 8 November 1976) was a German tennis player who won the French Open, French Championships twice, becoming the first non American, British, Australian or French playe ...

Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

, and

Prince George, Duke of Kent Prince George, Duke of Kent (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 – 25 August 1942) was a member of the British royal family, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was a younger brother of kings Edward VIII and George ...

. However, his autobiography is discreet: "I don't want any ," he said, adding he was "nauseated by the striptease school of writers". In later life Roberts's creative industry was impressive, but he gained repute as a name-dropping bore, the Canadian writer David Watmough dubbing him as "an irascible old fart". According to an obituary, his main personal trait was "magnetic egocentricity" – so fascinated by himself and his doings as to succeed uncannily in conveying that fascination to others, even against their will. Roberts's life often resembled a 20th-century grand tour, strewn with places in the sun, grand seigneurs and charming hostesses, with him as a fastidious literary pilgrim. Roberts settled in Italy in the early 1950s, living in

Alassio Alassio (Ligurian: Arasce or Arasci) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Savona situated in the western coast of Liguria, Northern Italy, approximately from the French border. Alassio is known for its natural and scenic views ...

near

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

, and then for many years in the Grand Hotel, Rome. He was awarded the Italian Gold Medal in 1966. New York Times obituary 23 December 1976 He donated his papers to

Churchill College Churchill College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but retains a strong interest in the arts ...

, Cambridge in 1975. He died in Rome in 1976.

Works

*''Phyllistrata'' (1913) *''Through the Eyes of Youth'' (1914) *''The Youth of Beauty'' (1915) *''Collected War Poems'' (1916) *''The Chelsea Cherub'' (1917) novel *''Twenty-Six'' (1917) *''Charing Cross'' (1918) *''Training the Airmen'' (1919) *''Poems'' (1920) *''A Tale of Young Lovers'' (1922) poetic drama *''Scissors'' (1923) novel *''Sails of Sunset'' (1924) novel *''The Love Rack'' (1925) novel *''Little Mrs. Manington'' (1926) novel *''The Diary of Russell Beresford'' (1927) editor *''Sagusto'' (1927) novel *''David and Diana'' (1928) novel *''Goose Fair'' (1928) *''Indiana Jane'' (1929) novel *''Pamela's Spring Song'' (1929) novel (@) *''Goose Fair'' (1929) *''Havana Bound'' (1930) novel *''Spears Against Us'' (1930) novel (@) *''Bargain Basement'' (1931) novel *''Half Way: an autobiography'' (1931) *''Alfred Fripp'' (1932) biography *''Pilgrim Cottage'' (1933) trilogy: includes ''The Guests Arrive'' and ''Volcano'' (*) *''The Pilgrim Cottage Omnibus'' (*) *''Gone Rustic'' (1934) (*) *''The Guests Arrive'' (1934) (*) *''Volcano'' (1935) (*) *''Gone Rambling'' (1935) (*) * *''Gone Afield'' (1936) (*) *''Gone Sunwards'' (1936) (*) *''Victoria, Four-Thirty'' (1937) novel (@) *''They Wanted to Live'' (1939) novel (@) *'' And So to Bath'' (1940) (*) *''A Man Arose'' (1941) poem on

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

*''Letters from Jim'' (1941) editor *''One Small Candle'' (1942) *''So Immortal a Flower'' (1944) *''The Labyrinth'' (1944) *''And So to America'' (1946) *''Eight for Eternity'' (1947) *''And So to Rome'' (1950) *''A Terrace in the Sun'' (1951) *''One Year of Life'' (1952) memoir *''The Remarkable Young Man'' (1954) *''Portal to Paradise: an Italian excursion'' (1955) *''Love Is Like That'' (1957) *''Selected Poems'' (1960) *''Wide Is the Horizon'' (1962) *''Grand Cruise'' (1963) *''A Flight of Birds'' (1966) *''The Growing Boy'' (1967) autobiography (i) *''The Years of Promise'' autobiography (ii) *''The Bright Twenties'' (1970) autobiography (iii) *''Sunshine and Shadow'' (1972) autobiography (iv) *''Pleasant Years'' (1974) autobiography (v) *''Wings'' poem (*)=The "Pilgrim Cottage" books (@)=The "Inside Europe" novels

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Cecil 1892 births 1976 deaths 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English LGBTQ people 20th-century English poets 20th-century English journalists 20th-century English memoirists 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights English male journalists English male novelists Writers from Nottingham English LGBTQ writers English war correspondents War correspondents of World War I British people of World War I Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates English expatriates in Italy