Denys Val Baker
Encyclopedia
Denys Val Baker was a British
writer, specialising in short stories
, novels, and autobiographical novels
. He was also known for his activities as an editor
, and promotion of the arts in Cornwall
.
, York
, North Riding of Yorkshire
on 24 October 1917 where
his father, Welsh
born Valentine Henry Baker
, was stationed as a pilot instructor during World War I
. His mother was Dilys Eames, who was from Anglesey
in North Wales
and had played harp
at the National Eisteddfod of 1901. He grew up in Sussex
and eventually lived with his parents in Surbiton
, then in Surrey
, now in Greater London
.
Denys was always proud of being of Celt
ic ancestry, and he considered himself to be more Welsh
than English
, and was an influence in his writings.
He showed an interest in writing from when a young man. He was particularly drawn to the short story format, which was very popular in the 1920s and 1930s, and he would send stories to many magazines. Thanks to his father’s contacts with the
Harmsworth family, Denys managed to get a job
as a reporter on the Derby Evening Telegraph
,
one of the Harmsworth family’s regional titles, and
stayed there for three years. After that he moved to
London where he worked as a jobbing journalist
on various trade papers.
. He was a lifelong pacifist and vegetarian. He had by this time changed his surname to Val Baker in honour of his father, who had died in a flying accident in 1942.
Denys Val Baker started publishing his own quarterly magazine
Opus, (later to be renamed Voices) in the early
forties featuring stories, poems and reviews by his
contemporaries- some of whom went on to be well
known writers. In 1943 he produced the first of his
annual Little Reviews Anthologies through Allen & Unwin
, which presented the best of that year's output from the country’s many literary magazines. There were also a series of anthologies of
short stories by British and international writers.
As a writer of fiction his career really started with Selected Stories, which was a little stapled paperback issued in 1944. This was quickly followed by Worlds Without End, a hardback published in 1945, and then his first novel The White Rock in the same year. The latter was also published in U.S.
and Holland. A second novel The More We Are Together soon followed and then a third The Widening Mirror in 1949.
Denys was also increasing his output of short stories, many of which were not only published in magazines, but also read on the
B.B.C.’s
Morning Story programme. Over the years, he had well over 100 stories read on the BBC
radio.
Denys had always been enchanted by Cornwall
, and he eventually moved there permanently to St.Ives
in 1948. This change was to mark a new era in his writing career. While continuing to write short stories, he also launched the publication The Cornish Review in 1949.
The Cornish Review featured poems, short stories, articles, art and book reviews. This quarterly magazine lasted three years and ten issues. In 1966 Val Baker revived the Review with much the same mixture, this time it lasted for twenty six issues until it folded in 1974.
In 1959 he published the acclaimed Britain's Art Colony By The Sea about the artistic community of Cornwall, and particularly based around St. Ives.
Denys lived in various places in Cornwall as his family kept growing. The family life in Corwall was to provide the basis for many autobiographical, humorous books. The first of which, The Sea’s in The Kitchen, was published in 1962 by Phoenix House and was to be his best selling book since the forties. This was soon followed by The Door is Always Open in 1963 and eventually by another twenty four .
Another aspect of his life was his interest in the sea. When Denys purchased his own boat, M.F.V. Sanu, an ex-navy supply tender, it was an inspiration for his books, short stories, and magazine articles.
In the 1960s and 1970s he continued with a prolific creative output, mainly through the publisher William Kimber. But finally, in the early eighties onwards Val Baker’s health began to deteriorate and he suffered excruciating pain from irritable bowel syndrome
, an illness that seems to have practically curtailed his writing career.
On 6 July 1984 Denys Val Baker died at The West Cornwall Hospital, Penzance
at the early age of sixty six. He had written fourteen novels, twenty two collections of short stories, twenty six autobiographies, over forty anthologies, another twenty books on general subjects as well as hundreds of short stories and articles for magazines throughout the world. The popularity of his books was reinforced when with the introduction of Public Lending Rights in the year of his death the royalties put him in the top 120 of most borrowed authors of over 6000 who had registered.
He was married twice. His first marriage was to Patricia Johnson whom he met in 1942. They had one son, Martin, born in 1944. This marriage collapsed and ended in 1948. At this point Denys moved to Cornwall. He lived there for the rest of his life except for a three year sojourn in London and one year in Bermuda.
He married Jess Bryan (b. 1922) in 1949. Jess brought to the family Gillian (b. 1945) and Jane (b. 1947). The family slowly grew with the births of Stephen in 1949, Demelza in 1951, and Genevieve in 1954.
His life in Cornwall really began in 1948 when he rented a small cottage at the foot of Trencrom Hill just outside St Ives. But as the family quickly grew, following the marriage with Jess, they moved from Trencrom to Penzance and then to Sennen Cove
.
Then, the Val Bakers were able to buy the seventeen-room Old Vicarage, St Hilary
, the house featured in Bernard Walke’s book Twenty Years at St Hilary. At this time Jess took lessons with the potter David Leach
in Penzance and soon opened up a studio pottery, which continued for at least twenty years.
In 1954 the Val Bakers left St Hilary and moved to Kent and then to London. But three years later they returned to Cornwall to a tiny rented cottage in Virgin Street, St Ives and
then in Church Place before in 1958 moving to St Christopher's House overlooking Porthmeor beach
. It was here that the pottery run by Jess began to be successful, and Denys would often be found there both writing and serving customers. It was also here that Denys started on a series of autobiographical books, inspired by family life at St Christopher's.
In 1967 the family moved to the Old Sawmills, an isolated, rambling house located in extensive woodland up a creek at Golant
on the river Fowey
approachable only by boat or walking along the railway belonging to English China Clays plc
railway. It was here that Denys settled for five years, writing in an old shed/studio on the sunny side of the creek. By now most of the older children had set out on their ways but they often returned with friends, and the Sawmills was always a very busy place. One of the reasons for this move was the safe mooring available for the newly purchased ex-navy supply tender MFV Sanu. Meanwhile, the Mask Pottery in Fowey
continued to be run by Jess, with the help of Stephen and Demelza. Jess was offered the opportunity of running a course teaching the pottery in Bermuda
so she and Denys spent a year there.
On their return in 1972, with MFV Sanu now moored in the Mediterranean, they started planning to move to another old millhouse, at Crean between St. Buryan
and Land's End in 1972. As at Golant, Denys continued writing in a shed for a studio. Along the cliff footpath at Zennor
, there is a bench overlooking the sea, which is dedicated to the memory of Denys Val Baker.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer, specialising in short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
, novels, and autobiographical novels
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
. He was also known for his activities as an editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, and promotion of the arts in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
Early years
Born Denys Baker in PoppletonPoppleton
Poppleton may refer to:* Upper Poppleton, England* Nether Poppleton, England* Poppleton Township, Minnesota, USA* Poppleton manuscript* Poppleton University* Poppleton: The Children's Book...
, York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, North Riding of Yorkshire
North Riding of Yorkshire
The North Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of the English county of Yorkshire, alongside the East and West Ridings. From the Restoration it was used as a Lieutenancy area. The three ridings were treated as three counties for many purposes, such as having separate...
on 24 October 1917 where
his father, Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
born Valentine Henry Baker
Valentine Baker (pilot)
Captain Valentine Henry Baker MC AFC served in all three of the British Armed Forces during the First World War. After the war he became a civilian flight instructor, and co-founder of the Martin-Baker Aircraft Company...
, was stationed as a pilot instructor during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. His mother was Dilys Eames, who was from Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
in North Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and had played harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
at the National Eisteddfod of 1901. He grew up in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and eventually lived with his parents in Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
, then in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, now in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
.
Denys was always proud of being of Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic ancestry, and he considered himself to be more Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
than English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and was an influence in his writings.
He showed an interest in writing from when a young man. He was particularly drawn to the short story format, which was very popular in the 1920s and 1930s, and he would send stories to many magazines. Thanks to his father’s contacts with the
Harmsworth family, Denys managed to get a job
as a reporter on the Derby Evening Telegraph
Derby Evening Telegraph
The Derby Telegraph, formerly the Derby Evening Telegraph, is a daily tabloid newspaper printed and distributed in Derby, England.-History:In 1857, Richard Keene was publishing the Derby Telegraph every Saturday. His business was in Irongate...
,
one of the Harmsworth family’s regional titles, and
stayed there for three years. After that he moved to
London where he worked as a jobbing journalist
on various trade papers.
Career
Denys was by now beginning to supplement his income through freelance journalism and sales of short stories to the many literary magazines that were popular in the days before television. He was also secretary of a pacifist community in Camden TownCamden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
. He was a lifelong pacifist and vegetarian. He had by this time changed his surname to Val Baker in honour of his father, who had died in a flying accident in 1942.
Denys Val Baker started publishing his own quarterly magazine
Opus, (later to be renamed Voices) in the early
forties featuring stories, poems and reviews by his
contemporaries- some of whom went on to be well
known writers. In 1943 he produced the first of his
annual Little Reviews Anthologies through Allen & Unwin
Allen & Unwin
Allen & Unwin, formerly a major British publishing house, is now an independent book publisher and distributor based in Australia. The Australian directors have been the sole owners of the Allen & Unwin name since effecting a management buy out at the time the UK parent company, Unwin Hyman, was...
, which presented the best of that year's output from the country’s many literary magazines. There were also a series of anthologies of
short stories by British and international writers.
As a writer of fiction his career really started with Selected Stories, which was a little stapled paperback issued in 1944. This was quickly followed by Worlds Without End, a hardback published in 1945, and then his first novel The White Rock in the same year. The latter was also published in U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Holland. A second novel The More We Are Together soon followed and then a third The Widening Mirror in 1949.
Denys was also increasing his output of short stories, many of which were not only published in magazines, but also read on the
B.B.C.’s
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Morning Story programme. Over the years, he had well over 100 stories read on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio.
Denys had always been enchanted by Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, and he eventually moved there permanently to St.Ives
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
in 1948. This change was to mark a new era in his writing career. While continuing to write short stories, he also launched the publication The Cornish Review in 1949.
The Cornish Review featured poems, short stories, articles, art and book reviews. This quarterly magazine lasted three years and ten issues. In 1966 Val Baker revived the Review with much the same mixture, this time it lasted for twenty six issues until it folded in 1974.
In 1959 he published the acclaimed Britain's Art Colony By The Sea about the artistic community of Cornwall, and particularly based around St. Ives.
Denys lived in various places in Cornwall as his family kept growing. The family life in Corwall was to provide the basis for many autobiographical, humorous books. The first of which, The Sea’s in The Kitchen, was published in 1962 by Phoenix House and was to be his best selling book since the forties. This was soon followed by The Door is Always Open in 1963 and eventually by another twenty four .
Another aspect of his life was his interest in the sea. When Denys purchased his own boat, M.F.V. Sanu, an ex-navy supply tender, it was an inspiration for his books, short stories, and magazine articles.
In the 1960s and 1970s he continued with a prolific creative output, mainly through the publisher William Kimber. But finally, in the early eighties onwards Val Baker’s health began to deteriorate and he suffered excruciating pain from irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion. It is a functional bowel disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, and alteration of bowel habits in the absence of any detectable organic cause. In some cases, the symptoms are relieved by bowel movements...
, an illness that seems to have practically curtailed his writing career.
On 6 July 1984 Denys Val Baker died at The West Cornwall Hospital, Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
at the early age of sixty six. He had written fourteen novels, twenty two collections of short stories, twenty six autobiographies, over forty anthologies, another twenty books on general subjects as well as hundreds of short stories and articles for magazines throughout the world. The popularity of his books was reinforced when with the introduction of Public Lending Rights in the year of his death the royalties put him in the top 120 of most borrowed authors of over 6000 who had registered.
Family life
Denys's family life and career were very closely tied, providing inspiration for his writing.He was married twice. His first marriage was to Patricia Johnson whom he met in 1942. They had one son, Martin, born in 1944. This marriage collapsed and ended in 1948. At this point Denys moved to Cornwall. He lived there for the rest of his life except for a three year sojourn in London and one year in Bermuda.
He married Jess Bryan (b. 1922) in 1949. Jess brought to the family Gillian (b. 1945) and Jane (b. 1947). The family slowly grew with the births of Stephen in 1949, Demelza in 1951, and Genevieve in 1954.
His life in Cornwall really began in 1948 when he rented a small cottage at the foot of Trencrom Hill just outside St Ives. But as the family quickly grew, following the marriage with Jess, they moved from Trencrom to Penzance and then to Sennen Cove
Sennen Cove
Sennen Cove is a small coastal settlement in the parish of Sennen, in Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the Penwith District Council, the population of this settlement was estimated at 180 persons in 2000.-Geography:...
.
Then, the Val Bakers were able to buy the seventeen-room Old Vicarage, St Hilary
St Hilary, Cornwall
St Hilary is a civil parish and village in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately five miles east of Penzance and four miles south of Hayle.Chynoweth is an area immediately north of St Hilary....
, the house featured in Bernard Walke’s book Twenty Years at St Hilary. At this time Jess took lessons with the potter David Leach
David Leach (potter)
David Andrew Leach was an English studio potter and the eldest son of Bernard Leach and Muriel Hoyle Leach, Bernard's first wife....
in Penzance and soon opened up a studio pottery, which continued for at least twenty years.
In 1954 the Val Bakers left St Hilary and moved to Kent and then to London. But three years later they returned to Cornwall to a tiny rented cottage in Virgin Street, St Ives and
then in Church Place before in 1958 moving to St Christopher's House overlooking Porthmeor beach
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
. It was here that the pottery run by Jess began to be successful, and Denys would often be found there both writing and serving customers. It was also here that Denys started on a series of autobiographical books, inspired by family life at St Christopher's.
In 1967 the family moved to the Old Sawmills, an isolated, rambling house located in extensive woodland up a creek at Golant
Golant
Golant is a village in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the west bank of the River Fowey and lies in the civil parish of St Sampson....
on the river Fowey
River Fowey
The River Fowey is a river in Cornwall, United Kingdom.It rises about north-west of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, passes Lanhydrock House, Restormel Castle and Lostwithiel, then broadens at Milltown before joining the English Channel at Fowey. It is only navigable by larger craft for the last ....
approachable only by boat or walking along the railway belonging to English China Clays plc
English China Clays plc
English China Clays plc or ECC was a mining company involved in the extraction of china clay, based in St Austell, Cornwall. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but in 1999 was acquired by Imetal.-History:...
railway. It was here that Denys settled for five years, writing in an old shed/studio on the sunny side of the creek. By now most of the older children had set out on their ways but they often returned with friends, and the Sawmills was always a very busy place. One of the reasons for this move was the safe mooring available for the newly purchased ex-navy supply tender MFV Sanu. Meanwhile, the Mask Pottery in Fowey
Fowey
Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,273.-Early history:...
continued to be run by Jess, with the help of Stephen and Demelza. Jess was offered the opportunity of running a course teaching the pottery in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
so she and Denys spent a year there.
On their return in 1972, with MFV Sanu now moored in the Mediterranean, they started planning to move to another old millhouse, at Crean between St. Buryan
St Buryan
St Buryan is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom.The village of St Buryan is situated approximately five miles west of Penzance along the B3283 towards Land's End...
and Land's End in 1972. As at Golant, Denys continued writing in a shed for a studio. Along the cliff footpath at Zennor
Zennor
Zennor is a village and civil parish in Cornwall in England. The parish includes the villages of Zennor, Boswednack and Porthmeor and the hamlet of Treen. It is located on the north coast, about north of Penzance. Alphabetically, the parish is the last in Britain—its name comes from the Cornish...
, there is a bench overlooking the sea, which is dedicated to the memory of Denys Val Baker.
Novels
- The White Rock: Sylvan Press, 1945
- The More We Are Together:Sampson Low,1947
- The Faces Of Love : (no 4 revised) 1967.
- As The River Flows: Milton House, 1974.
- Company Of Three: Milton House, 1974.
- Don’t Lose Your Cool Dad:: Milton House 1975
- Frances: William Kimber: 1980 (no 3 revised)
Short story collections
- World’s Without End: Sylvan Press 1945.
- The Return Of Uncle Walter: Sampson Low 1949
- The Face in the MirrorThe Face in the MirrorThe Face in the Mirror is a collection of stories by author Denys Val Baker. It was released in 1971 and was the author's first American collection of stories...
: Arkham House (USA) 1971 - Woman & the Engine Driver: United Writers 1972
- The Girl in the Photograph: William Kimber 1982
- Martin’s Cottage: William Kimber 1983
- At the Rainbow’s End: William Kimber 1983
- A Work of Art: William Kimber 1984
Autobiographies
- The Sea’s in the Kitchen: Phoenix House 1962/ & Humdrumming Ltd 2006
- The Door is Always Open: Phoenix House 1963
- We’ll Go Round the World Tomorrow: 1965
- To Sea with Sanu: John Baker 1967
- Adventures Before Fifty: John Baker 1969
- Life Up The Creek: John Baker 1971
- A Long Way to Lands End: William Kimber 1977
- All This and Cornwall Too: William Kimber 1978
- The Mill in the Valley: William Kimber 1984
- When Cornish Skies are Smiling: William Kimber 1984
- Cornish Prelude: William Kimber 1985
Other works
- Paintings from Cornwall: Cornish Library 1950
- Britain Discovers Herself: Johnson & Co 1950
- How to be an Author: Harvill Press 1952
- The Pottery Book: Cassell 1959
- Pottery: (as Henry Trevor) Constable 1963
- The Young Potter: Nicholas Kaye 1963
- Fun With Pottery: Kaye & Ward 1973
- The Spirit of Cornwall: W. H. Allen 1980
- Let’s make Pottery: Warne 1981
- A View from Land’s End: William Kimber 1982
Edited books
- Preludes: (Poetry Anthology) Opus Press 1942
- Little Reviews: 1914-43 P.E.N. Books 1943
- Little Reviews Anthologies: Allen & Unwin 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947/48 and 1949
- International Short Stories: W. H. Allen 1944
- Writing Today: Staples & Staples 1943, 1944, 1945 & 1946
- Ghosts in Country House: William Kimber 1981
- When Churchyards Yawn: William Kimber 1982
- Stories of Haunted Inns: William Kimber 1982
- Ghosts in Country Villages: William Kimber 1983
Literary magazines published
- Opus: Quarterly (1-14) in London ca. 1940-1943 (No. 14, spring 1943: Wigginton, Tring, Herts: Opus Press)
- Voices: Opus renamed around ca. 1943-46
- Cornish Review: Quarterly !949-52 & !966-74