Sybille Bedford, OBE (16 March 1911 – 17 February 2006) was a German-born English writer of non-fiction and semi-autobiographical fiction books. She was a recipient of the Golden PEN Award.
She was born as Sybille Aleid Elsa von Schoenebeck in Charlottenburg, west of Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia, to Maximilian Josef von Schoenebeck (1853–1925), a German aristocrat, retired lieutenant colonel and art collector, and his German Jewish wife, Elisabeth Bernhardt (1888–1937).[1] Sybille was raised in the Roman Catholic faith of her father at CastleFeldkirch in Baden. She had a half-sister by her father's first marriage to Elisabeth Marchesani, Maximiliane Henriette von Schoenebeck (later Baroness von Dincklage, aka Jacko or Catsy). Her parents divorced in 1918, and she remained with her father, under somewhat impoverished circumstances in the midst of his art and wine collection. He died in 1925, when she was 14 years old, and Sybille went to live in Italy with her mother and stepfather, an Italian architectural student.[2] During those years she studied in England, lodging in Hampstead.[3]
In the early 1920s, Sybille often travelled between England and Italy. With the rise of fascism in Italy, though, her mother and stepfather settled in Sanary-sur-Mer, a small coastal fishing village in Provence in the south of France, near Toulon and Marseille. Sybille herself settled there as a teenager, living near Aldous Huxley, with whom she became friends. Bedford interacted with and was influenced by many of the German writers who settled in the area during that time, including Thomas Mann and Bertolt Brecht. Meanwhile, her mother became addicted to morphine, which had been prescribed by a local doctor, and became increasingly dysfunctional.[3]
In 1933, Sybille published an article critical of the Nazi regime in Die Sammlung, the literary magazine of Klaus Mann, the son of Thomas Mann. When her Jewish ancestry was subsequently discovered by the Nazis, her German bank accounts were frozen.[4] At this time it was difficult for her to renew her German passport, and staying in Italy without a valid passport or a source of income carried the risk of being deported to Germany. Aldous Huxley's wife Maria came up with a solution in 1935. Maria is known to have said, on the question of who should marry Sybille, "We need to get one of our bugger friends." Sybille entered a marriage of convenience with an English Army officer, Walter "Terry" Bedford (an ex-boyfriend of a former manservant of W. H. Auden's), whom she described as a friend's "bugger butler",[5] and obtained a British passport.[6] The marriage ended shortly thereafter, but Sybille took her husband's surname, publishing all of her later work as Sybille Bedford.
With assistance from Aldous and Maria Huxley, Bedford left France for America in advance of the German invasion of 1940. She followed the Huxleys to California and spent the rest of World War II in the United States.
Career as a writer
After the war, Bedford spent a year travelling in Mexico. Her experiences on that trip would form the basis of her first published book, a travelogue entitled The Sudden View: a Mexican Journey, which was published in 1953. Bedford spent the remainder of the 1940s living in France and Italy. During this time she had a love affair with an American woman, Evelyn W. Gendel,[7] who left her husband for Bedford and became a writer and editor herself.[8] In the 1950s Bedford became Martha Gellhorn's confidante.[citation needed]
A Legacy, Bedford's second book and first novel, was published in 1956 and successfully televised by the BBC in 1975. It was described by Francis King as "one of the great books of the 20th century". Evelyn Waugh wrote in a letter to Nancy Mitford, "I wondered who this brilliant 'Mrs Bedford' could be. A cosmopolitan military man, plainly, with a knowledge of parliamentary government and popular journalism, a dislike of Prussians, a liking for Jews, a belief that everyone speaks French in the home..."[9] Though outwardly a work of fiction, it was somewhat autobiographical – it presents a stylized version of her father's life in Germany, as well as some of the author's early childhood there. It was a success and enabled Bedford to continue writing.[10] In her lifetime, three more novels were published, as well as numerous works of non-fiction. In non-fiction she was best known as a travel writer and a legal reporter.[citation needed]
In 1945 she met Esther Murphy, who would become her lover. The relationship lasted only a few years, but they remained lifelong friends.[11]
Bedford spent the 1950s,the 1960s and the 1970s living in France, Italy, Britain and Portugal, and during that period had a twenty-year relationship with the American female novelist Eda Lord.[6][2] In 1979 she settled in Chelsea, London. In 1981 she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. She worked for PEN, was a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and in 1994 became a Companion of Literature. Bedford's final work was Quicksands, a memoir published in 2005. A biography by Selina HastingsSybille Bedford: An Appetite for Life was published in 2020.[12]
The Sudden View: a Mexican Journey, 1953 – a travelogue. It was republished by William Collins in 1960 as A Visit to Don Otavio: a Traveller's Tale from Mexico, then republished again, as A Visit to Don Otavio: a Mexican Odyssey, by Eland in 1982.
A Legacy, 1956 – her first novel, inspired by the author's early years and the milieu in which she was raised. With wit and insight the novel traces the overlapping worlds of refined and idle German aristocrat Julius von Felden and the wealthy Jewish Merz family into which he marries. It is set in the south of France, Paris, Spain, Berlin and the German countryside at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Best We Can Do: (The Trial of Dr Adams), 1958 – an account of the murder trial of suspected serial killerJohn Bodkin Adams
The Faces of Justice: A Traveller's report, 1961 – a description of the legal systems of England, Germany, Switzerland, and France
A Favourite of the Gods, 1963 – a novel about an American heiress who marries a Roman prince
A Compass Error, 1968 – a sequel to the above, describing the love affairs of the daughter of that work's protagonist
Aldous Huxley: A biography, 1973 – the standard, authorized biography
Jigsaw: An Unsentimental Education, 1989 – a follow-up to A Legacy, inspired by the author's experiences living in Italy and France with her mother
As It Was: Pleasures, Landscapes and Justice, 1990 – a collection of magazine pieces on various trials, including the censorship of Lady Chatterley's Lover, the trial of Jack Ruby, and the Auschwitz trial, as well as pieces on food and travel
Pleasures and Landscapes: A Traveller's Tales from Europe – a reissue of the previous, removing the legal writings and including two additional travel essays
Quicksands: A Memoir, 2005 – a memoir of the author's life, from her childhood in Berlin to her experiences in postwar Europe
^ abObituary for Sybille Bedford in The Telegraph, 21 February 2006.
^ ab, archived from the original on 30 September 2007, retrieved 25 February 2018.
^Her mother was a German Jew, with some English ancestry. "I don't know to this day the actual percentage or exact provenance of my Jewish blood," Bedford wrote in Quicksands: A Memoir.
^Recounted by Victoria Glendinning in Sybille Bedford: In Memory (Eland, 2007), p. 41.
^ abJoan Acocella: "Piecework. The writings of Sybille Bedford", in The New Yorker, 18 April 2005
^Sybille Bedford: Papers 1911–2001 at the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin.
^"Evelyn Gendel, 61, Senior Editor With Bobbs-Merrill Since 1952", The New York Times, 20 December 1977.
^Quoted in the author's introduction to the Penguin Modern Classics edition, 2005, p. xviii.
^Author's introduction to Penguin Modern Classics edition.
^"Eluding Magnificent Monuments: The Stylish Lives of Esther Murphy, Mercedes de Acosta, and Madge Garland". bookslut. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
^. English PEN. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
Bibliography
Obituary for Sybille Bedford in The Telegraph, 21 February 2006.
Louise Carpenter: "Sense and Sensuality", Good Weekend, 16 July 2005.
Martin Mauthner: German Writers in French Exile, 1933–1940, London: Vallentine Mitchell, 2007 (ISBN978 0 85303 540 4).
External links
In German: Peter Brugger über "Die Baroness von Feldkirch", biografische Korrekturen, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Bilder und Zeiten, 5 June 2010
Appearance on Desert Island Discs – 10 July 1998
Sybille Bedford, 1911-2008 "This site is dedicated to the life and work of Sybille Bedford, writer."
"Sybille Bedford, An Interview". The Paris Review (Interview). No. 126. Interviewed by Shusha Guppy. Spring 1993.
"Sybille Bedford", Fellows Remembered, The Royal Society of Literature
March 03, 2023
sybille, bedford, march, 1911, february, 2006, german, born, english, writer, fiction, semi, autobiographical, fiction, books, recipient, golden, award, obebedford, 1989bornsybille, aleid, elsa, schoenebeck, 1911, march, 1911charlottenburg, kingdom, prussia, g. Sybille Bedford OBE 16 March 1911 17 February 2006 was a German born English writer of non fiction and semi autobiographical fiction books She was a recipient of the Golden PEN Award Sybille Bedford OBEBedford in 1989BornSybille Aleid Elsa von Schoenebeck 1911 03 16 16 March 1911Charlottenburg Kingdom of Prussia German EmpireDied17 February 2006 2006 02 17 aged 94 London England UKOccupationNovelist journalistPeriod1953 2005 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career as a writer 3 Awards and honours 4 Works 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External linksEarly life EditShe was born as Sybille Aleid Elsa von Schoenebeck in Charlottenburg west of Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia to Maximilian Josef von Schoenebeck 1853 1925 a German aristocrat retired lieutenant colonel and art collector and his German Jewish wife Elisabeth Bernhardt 1888 1937 1 Sybille was raised in the Roman Catholic faith of her father at Castle Feldkirch in Baden She had a half sister by her father s first marriage to Elisabeth Marchesani Maximiliane Henriette von Schoenebeck later Baroness von Dincklage aka Jacko or Catsy Her parents divorced in 1918 and she remained with her father under somewhat impoverished circumstances in the midst of his art and wine collection He died in 1925 when she was 14 years old and Sybille went to live in Italy with her mother and stepfather an Italian architectural student 2 During those years she studied in England lodging in Hampstead 3 In the early 1920s Sybille often travelled between England and Italy With the rise of fascism in Italy though her mother and stepfather settled in Sanary sur Mer a small coastal fishing village in Provence in the south of France near Toulon and Marseille Sybille herself settled there as a teenager living near Aldous Huxley with whom she became friends Bedford interacted with and was influenced by many of the German writers who settled in the area during that time including Thomas Mann and Bertolt Brecht Meanwhile her mother became addicted to morphine which had been prescribed by a local doctor and became increasingly dysfunctional 3 In 1933 Sybille published an article critical of the Nazi regime in Die Sammlung the literary magazine of Klaus Mann the son of Thomas Mann When her Jewish ancestry was subsequently discovered by the Nazis her German bank accounts were frozen 4 At this time it was difficult for her to renew her German passport and staying in Italy without a valid passport or a source of income carried the risk of being deported to Germany Aldous Huxley s wife Maria came up with a solution in 1935 Maria is known to have said on the question of who should marry Sybille We need to get one of our bugger friends Sybille entered a marriage of convenience with an English Army officer Walter Terry Bedford an ex boyfriend of a former manservant of W H Auden s whom she described as a friend s bugger butler 5 and obtained a British passport 6 The marriage ended shortly thereafter but Sybille took her husband s surname publishing all of her later work as Sybille Bedford With assistance from Aldous and Maria Huxley Bedford left France for America in advance of the German invasion of 1940 She followed the Huxleys to California and spent the rest of World War II in the United States Career as a writer EditAfter the war Bedford spent a year travelling in Mexico Her experiences on that trip would form the basis of her first published book a travelogue entitled The Sudden View a Mexican Journey which was published in 1953 Bedford spent the remainder of the 1940s living in France and Italy During this time she had a love affair with an American woman Evelyn W Gendel 7 who left her husband for Bedford and became a writer and editor herself 8 In the 1950s Bedford became Martha Gellhorn s confidante citation needed A Legacy Bedford s second book and first novel was published in 1956 and successfully televised by the BBC in 1975 It was described by Francis King as one of the great books of the 20th century Evelyn Waugh wrote in a letter to Nancy Mitford I wondered who this brilliant Mrs Bedford could be A cosmopolitan military man plainly with a knowledge of parliamentary government and popular journalism a dislike of Prussians a liking for Jews a belief that everyone speaks French in the home 9 Though outwardly a work of fiction it was somewhat autobiographical it presents a stylized version of her father s life in Germany as well as some of the author s early childhood there It was a success and enabled Bedford to continue writing 10 In her lifetime three more novels were published as well as numerous works of non fiction In non fiction she was best known as a travel writer and a legal reporter citation needed In 1945 she met Esther Murphy who would become her lover The relationship lasted only a few years but they remained lifelong friends 11 Bedford spent the 1950s the 1960s and the 1970s living in France Italy Britain and Portugal and during that period had a twenty year relationship with the American female novelist Eda Lord 6 2 In 1979 she settled in Chelsea London In 1981 she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire She worked for PEN was a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and in 1994 became a Companion of Literature Bedford s final work was Quicksands a memoir published in 2005 A biography by Selina Hastings Sybille Bedford An Appetite for Life was published in 2020 12 Awards and honours Edit1993 Golden PEN Award 13 Works EditThe Sudden View a Mexican Journey 1953 a travelogue It was republished by William Collins in 1960 as A Visit to Don Otavio a Traveller s Tale from Mexico then republished again as A Visit to Don Otavio a Mexican Odyssey by Eland in 1982 A Legacy 1956 her first novel inspired by the author s early years and the milieu in which she was raised With wit and insight the novel traces the overlapping worlds of refined and idle German aristocrat Julius von Felden and the wealthy Jewish Merz family into which he marries It is set in the south of France Paris Spain Berlin and the German countryside at the beginning of the 20th century The Best We Can Do The Trial of Dr Adams 1958 an account of the murder trial of suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams The Faces of Justice A Traveller s report 1961 a description of the legal systems of England Germany Switzerland and France A Favourite of the Gods 1963 a novel about an American heiress who marries a Roman prince A Compass Error 1968 a sequel to the above describing the love affairs of the daughter of that work s protagonist Aldous Huxley A biography 1973 the standard authorized biography Jigsaw An Unsentimental Education 1989 a follow up to A Legacy inspired by the author s experiences living in Italy and France with her mother As It Was Pleasures Landscapes and Justice 1990 a collection of magazine pieces on various trials including the censorship of Lady Chatterley s Lover the trial of Jack Ruby and the Auschwitz trial as well as pieces on food and travel Pleasures and Landscapes A Traveller s Tales from Europe a reissue of the previous removing the legal writings and including two additional travel essays Quicksands A Memoir 2005 a memoir of the author s life from her childhood in Berlin to her experiences in postwar EuropeReferences Edit Feldkirch in literarischen Zeugnissen a b Obituary for Sybille Bedford in The Telegraph 21 February 2006 a b Jane Jakeman Funerals in Berlin and Sussex in The Independent on Sunday 18 February 2000 archived from the original on 30 September 2007 retrieved 25 February 2018 Her mother was a German Jew with some English ancestry I don t know to this day the actual percentage or exact provenance of my Jewish blood Bedford wrote in Quicksands A Memoir Recounted by Victoria Glendinning in Sybille Bedford In Memory Eland 2007 p 41 a b Joan Acocella Piecework The writings of Sybille Bedford in The New Yorker 18 April 2005 Sybille Bedford Papers 1911 2001 at the Harry Ransom Center University of Texas at Austin Evelyn Gendel 61 Senior Editor With Bobbs Merrill Since 1952 The New York Times 20 December 1977 Quoted in the author s introduction to the Penguin Modern Classics edition 2005 p xviii Author s introduction to Penguin Modern Classics edition Eluding Magnificent Monuments The Stylish Lives of Esther Murphy Mercedes de Acosta and Madge Garland bookslut Retrieved 11 January 2018 Reviewed in The Spectator 7 November 2020 Golden Pen Award official website English PEN Archived from the original on 21 November 2012 Retrieved 3 December 2012 Bibliography EditObituary for Sybille Bedford in The Telegraph 21 February 2006 Louise Carpenter Sense and Sensuality Good Weekend 16 July 2005 Martin Mauthner German Writers in French Exile 1933 1940 London Vallentine Mitchell 2007 ISBN 978 0 85303 540 4 External links EditIn German Peter Brugger uber Die Baroness von Feldkirch biografische Korrekturen Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Bilder und Zeiten 5 June 2010 Appearance on Desert Island Discs 10 July 1998 Sybille Bedford 1911 2008 This site is dedicated to the life and work of Sybille Bedford writer Sybille Bedford An Interview The Paris Review Interview No 126 Interviewed by Shusha Guppy Spring 1993 Sybille Bedford Fellows Remembered The Royal Society of Literature Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sybille Bedford amp oldid 1135823732, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
