Bright Young People
Encyclopedia
The Bright Young People was a nickname given by the tabloid press to a group of bohemian
young aristocrats and socialites in 1920s London
. They threw elaborate fancy dress
parties, went on elaborate treasure hunts through nighttime London, and drank heavily and experimented with drugs—all of which was enthusiastically covered by the journalists such as Tom Driberg. They inspired a number of writers, including Nancy Mitford
(Highland Fling), Anthony Powell
(A Dance to the Music of Time
), Henry Green
(Party Going) and the poet John Betjeman
(A Subaltern's Love Song). Evelyn Waugh
's 1930 novel Vile Bodies
is a satirical look at this scene. Cecil Beaton
began his career in photography by documenting this set, of which he was a member.
The Bright Young People were also frequently referred to as the Bright Young Things, as reflected in the 2003 film Bright Young Things
.
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
young aristocrats and socialites in 1920s London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. They threw elaborate fancy dress
Costume party
A fancy dress party or a costume party , mainly in contemporary Western culture, is a type of party where guests dress up in a costume.-Fancy dress parties in Britain:...
parties, went on elaborate treasure hunts through nighttime London, and drank heavily and experimented with drugs—all of which was enthusiastically covered by the journalists such as Tom Driberg. They inspired a number of writers, including Nancy Mitford
Nancy Mitford
Nancy Freeman-Mitford, CBE , styled The Hon. Nancy Mitford before her marriage and The Hon. Mrs Peter Rodd thereafter, was an English novelist and biographer, one of the Bright Young People on the London social scene in the inter-war years...
(Highland Fling), Anthony Powell
Anthony Powell
Anthony Dymoke Powell CH, CBE was an English novelist best known for his twelve-volume work A Dance to the Music of Time, published between 1951 and 1975....
(A Dance to the Music of Time
A Dance to the Music of Time
A Dance to the Music of Time is a twelve-volume cycle of novels by Anthony Powell, inspired by the painting of the same name by Nicolas Poussin. One of the longest works of fiction in literature, it was published between 1951 and 1975 to critical acclaim...
), Henry Green
Henry Green
Henry Green was the nom de plume of Henry Vincent Yorke , an English author best remembered for the novel Loving, which was featured by Time in its list of the 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.- Biography :Green was born near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, into an educated family...
(Party Going) and the poet John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
(A Subaltern's Love Song). Evelyn Waugh
Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
's 1930 novel Vile Bodies
Vile Bodies
Vile Bodies is a 1930 novel by Evelyn Waugh satirising the Bright Young People: decadent young London society between World War I and World War II.-Title:The title comes from the Epistle to the Philippians 3:21...
is a satirical look at this scene. Cecil Beaton
Cecil Beaton
Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, CBE was an English fashion and portrait photographer, diarist, painter, interior designer and an Academy Award-winning stage and costume designer for films and the theatre...
began his career in photography by documenting this set, of which he was a member.
The Bright Young People were also frequently referred to as the Bright Young Things, as reflected in the 2003 film Bright Young Things
Bright Young Things
Bright Young Things is a 2003 British drama film written and directed by Stephen Fry. The screenplay, based on the 1930 novel Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh, provides satirical social commentary about the Bright Young People: young and carefree London aristocrats and bohemians, as well as society in...
.
List of Bright Young People
- Cecil BeatonCecil BeatonSir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, CBE was an English fashion and portrait photographer, diarist, painter, interior designer and an Academy Award-winning stage and costume designer for films and the theatre...
- Patrick Balfour
- John BetjemanJohn BetjemanSir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
- Edward BurraEdward BurraEdward Burra was an English painter, draughtsman, and printmaker, best known for his depictions of the urban underworld, black culture and the Harlem scene of the 1930s....
- Robert ByronRobert ByronRobert Byron was a British travel writer, best known for his travelogue The Road to Oxiana. He was also a noted writer, art critic and historian....
- Daphne FieldingDaphne FieldingHon. Daphne Winifred Louise Fielding, née Vivian , was a popular British author in the early 20th century....
- Edward Gathorne-Hardy
- "Babe" Plunket Greene
- Bryan GuinnessBryan Guinness, 2nd Baron MoyneBryan Walter Guinness, 2nd Baron Moyne , was an heir to part of the Guinness family brewing fortune, lawyer, poet and novelist...
- Gavin Henderson
- Brian Howard
- Teresa JungmanTeresa JungmanTeresa Jungman was the daughter of Nico Wilhelm Jungmann. Along with her sister Zita Jungman, she was one of the "Bright Young People" in the 1920s....
- Zita Jungman (see Nico Wilhelm JungmannNico Wilhelm JungmannNico Wilhelm Jungmann , also known as Nico Jungman, was a Dutch painter of landscapes and figural subjects. He was also a book-illustrator and decorator. Jungmann studied with a church painter and also at the Royal Academy, Amsterdam...
) - Barbara Ker-Seymer
- Beverley NicholsBeverley NicholsJohn Beverley Nichols , was an author, playwright, journalist, composer, and public speaker.-Career:...
- Brenda Dean Paul
- Elizabeth Ponsonby
- Anthony PowellAnthony PowellAnthony Dymoke Powell CH, CBE was an English novelist best known for his twelve-volume work A Dance to the Music of Time, published between 1951 and 1975....
- Diana MitfordDiana MitfordDiana Mitford, Lady Mosley , was one of Britain's noted Mitford sisters. She was married first to Bryan Walter Guinness, heir to the barony of Moyne, and secondly to Sir Oswald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, leader of the British Union of Fascists; her second marriage, in 1936, took place at the...
- Nancy MitfordNancy MitfordNancy Freeman-Mitford, CBE , styled The Hon. Nancy Mitford before her marriage and The Hon. Mrs Peter Rodd thereafter, was an English novelist and biographer, one of the Bright Young People on the London social scene in the inter-war years...
- Stephen TennantStephen TennantStephen James Napier Tennant was a British aristocrat known for his decadent lifestyle. It is said, albeit apocryphally, that he spent most of his life in bed.-Early life:...
- Evelyn WaughEvelyn WaughArthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
- Henry, Viscount WeymouthHenry Thynne, 6th Marquess of BathHenry Frederick Thynne, 6th Marquess of Bath JP , styled Lord Henry Thynne until 1916 and Viscount Weymouth between 1916 and 1946, was a British politician, aristocrat and landowner.-Background and education:...
- Henry Yorke