''The Journal of a Disappointed Man'' is the first volume of published journal entries by English naturalist and

diarist A diary is a writing, written or audiovisual Memorabilia, memorable record, with discrete entries arranged by Calendar date, date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwriti ...

Bruce Frederick Cummings, writing under the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

W. N. P. Barbellion Wilhelm Nero Pilate Barbellion was the pen name of Bruce Frederick Cummings (7 September 1889 – 22 October 1919), an English diarist who was responsible for '' The Journal of a Disappointed Man''. Ronald Blythe called it "among the most moving ...

Production

''The Journal of a Disappointed Man'' was described by its author as "a study in the nude".T. Jock Murray (2005)
Multiple Sclerosis: The history of a disease
', Demos Medical Publishing: New York, USA. The book was originally optioned by Collins, who eventually rejected the book because they feared the "lack of morals" shown by Barbellion would damage their reputation. An editor's note at the very end of the book claims Barbellion died on 31 December 1917, but Cummings in fact lived for nearly two more years. The first edition bore a preface by

H.G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

, which led some reviewers to believe the journal was a work of fiction by Wells himself; Wells publicly denied this but the true identity of "Barbellion" was not known by the public until after Cummings' death.

Reception

After its publication, ''The Journal of a Disappointed Man'' became the best known personal account of multiple sclerosis. It was variously regarded "with undisguised contempt, damned as immoral, or acclaimed a work of genius, hailed as a masterpiece." The strong early sales and the admiration received by the book are largely forgotten by the wider reading public today, but the book has been frequently reprinted in paperback and is regarded as a minor classic of English literature. It has been likened to the best work of other writers like

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...

and

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

.James Mildren, ''Literary limbo engulfs Devon journalist'', Western Morning News, 29 January 1985

References

External links

''The Journal of a Disappointed Man'' (1920 edition) at Internet Archive (free e-book download)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Journal of a Disappointed Man, The Diaries English non-fiction books 1919 non-fiction books