''Flannelled Fool: A Slice of a Life in the Thirties'' is an autobiography by

T. C. Worsley Thomas Cuthbert Worsley (1907–1977) was a British teacher, writer, editor, and theatre and television critic. He is best remembered for his autobiographical '' Flannelled Fool: A Slice of a Life in the Thirties''. Biography Cuthbert Worsley wa ...

, published in 1967. It takes its title from a phrase in "The Islanders", a poem by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much o ...

. Though ''Flannelled Fool'' is subtitled ''A Slice of a Life in the Thirties'', much of it treats the author's childhood and education at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

before he began a

schoolmaster The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled aft ...

ing career at

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin *Wellington College, Wellington, New Z ...

in 1929.

Publication

The frank accounts of many of its personages, only thinly disguised by false names, led, according to

Alan Ross Alan John Ross (6 May 1922 – 14 February 2001) was a British poet, writer, editor and publisher. Early years Ross was born in Calcutta, India, son of John Brackenridge Ross, CBE, a former Lieutenant in the Indian Army Reserve (Supply and Tr ...

, the book's eventual publisher, to several rejections:

At least three leading publishers turned it down on legal advice, and Cuthbert Worsley himself admitted that he had been warned it was folly to expect publication. Re-reading it now I feel there were good reasons for anxiety, but at the time, with little to lose, it seemed worth the risk. Worsley had assured me that all the 'college'
ellington Ellington may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Ellington, Cambridgeshire * Ellington, Northumberland *Ellington High and Low, a civil parish in North Yorkshire **High Ellington **Low Ellington United States *Ellington Airport (Texas), Hous ...
masters likely to cause trouble were dead, and
Kurt Hahn Kurt Matthias Robert Martin Hahn (5 June 1886, Berlin – 14 December 1974, Hermannsberg) was a German educator. He was decisive in founding, among other organizations and initiatives, Stiftung Louisenlund, Schule Schloss Salem, Gordonstou ...
, whose possible reaction had done most to scare off the others, was, safely, we hoped, back in Germany. In the event, nothing happened. Far from bankrupting us or putting Cuthbert and me in gaol, the book both sold well and received a wonderful press.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flannelled Fool, The British autobiographies 1967 non-fiction books