Philip Guedalla
Encyclopedia
Philip Guedalla was a British barrister
, and a popular historical and travel writer and biographer. His wit
and epigram
s are well-known, one example being "Even reviewers read a Preface," another being "History repeats itself. Historians repeat each other." He also was the originator of a now-common theory on Henry James
, writing that "The work of Henry James has always seemed divisible by a simple dynastic arrangement into three reigns: James I, James II, and the Old Pretender".
, London into a secular Jewish family; in later life he embraced his Jewish identity. He was educated at Rugby School
and Balliol College, Oxford
, where he in 1911 was the President of the Oxford Union; and was published in Oxford Poetry 1910–1913. In 1919 he married Nellie Maude Reitlinger, the daughter of a banker. They never had children. Asked how to say his name, he told The Literary Digest
"My own pronunciation is gwuh-dal'lah. I have very little doubt that this is wholly incorrect."
, Guedalla practised as a barrister
from 1913 to 1923, before turning to writing. During the First World War he organised and acted as secretary to the Flax
Control Board and also served as legal adviser to the Contracts Departments of the War Office
and the Ministry of Munitions. In World War II
he served in the Royal Air Force
, with the rank of Squadron Leader
.
five times, always unsuccessfully.
He first stood for Parliament as a Liberal at the 1922 general election
in Hackney North
in a straight fight with the incumbent Conservative
Sir Walter Greene
, MP. Greene held the seat with a majority of 4,615 votes.
At the 1923 general election
Guedalla was adopted as Liberal candidate for the Derbyshire North East
constituency. This looked as if it might be a winnable seat for the Liberals as at the general election of 1922
the Liberal candidate Stanley Holmes
had come within 15 votes of taking the seat from Labour
in a three-cornered contest. Despite the boost the Liberals had received in the run-up to the 1923 general election with the reunion of the Lloyd George
and Asquithian wings of the party, Guedalla was unable to gain Derbyshire North East and fell to the foot of the poll behind the Conservatives. He tried again in Derbyshire North East at the 1924 general election
but again came third behind the Tories in a three-cornered fight.
Guedalla next attempted to enter the House of Commons as Liberal candidate for Manchester Rusholme
at the 1929 general election
. This had been a Liberal seat between 1923 and 1924 having been held by Charles Masterman a former Liberal Cabinet minister
. Guedalla maintained second place behind the sitting Tory MP Sir Frank Boyd Merriman but was unable to regain the seat. At the 1931 general election
Guedalla moved constituencies again, this time to nearby Manchester Withington
. This was a Liberal seat, held between 1923–1924 and 1929-1931 by Ernest Simon. However in the summer of 1931 an economic crisis led to the formation of a National Government led by prime minister
Ramsay MacDonald
supported by a small number of National Labour MPs and initially backed by the Conservative and Liberal parties. In many constituencies the main opposition party to Labour simply assumed the mantle of the Coalition government but in Manchester the Conservative and Liberal parties could not work together to agree an electoral pact, even in the unique circumstances of the national emergency. So Guedalla found himself opposed by Edward Fleming
for the Conservatives who won the seat comfortably with a majority of 14,718.
by Anthony Shaffer, mystery writer Andrew Wyke says, "Do you agree that the detective story is the normal recreation of noble minds? I'm quoting from Philip Guedalla, a biographer of the thirties, that golden age when every Cabinet Minister had a thriller by his bedside and all detectives were titled."
Guedalla also chaired the Royal Institute of International Affairs
study group that prepared the report The Republics of South America (1937)
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
, and a popular historical and travel writer and biographer. His wit
Wit
Wit is a form of intellectual humour, and a wit is someone skilled in making witty remarks. Forms of wit include the quip and repartee.-Forms of wit:...
and epigram
Epigram
An epigram is a brief, interesting, usually memorable and sometimes surprising statement. Derived from the epigramma "inscription" from ἐπιγράφειν epigraphein "to write on inscribe", this literary device has been employed for over two millennia....
s are well-known, one example being "Even reviewers read a Preface," another being "History repeats itself. Historians repeat each other." He also was the originator of a now-common theory on Henry James
Henry James
Henry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
, writing that "The work of Henry James has always seemed divisible by a simple dynastic arrangement into three reigns: James I, James II, and the Old Pretender".
Family and education
Guedalla was born in Maida ValeMaida Vale
Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
, London into a secular Jewish family; in later life he embraced his Jewish identity. He was educated at Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
and Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, where he in 1911 was the President of the Oxford Union; and was published in Oxford Poetry 1910–1913. In 1919 he married Nellie Maude Reitlinger, the daughter of a banker. They never had children. Asked how to say his name, he told The Literary Digest
Literary Digest
The Literary Digest was an influential general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, Public Opinion and Current Opinion.-History:...
"My own pronunciation is gwuh-dal'lah. I have very little doubt that this is wholly incorrect."
Career
Having been called to the Bar by the Inner TempleInner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, Guedalla practised as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
from 1913 to 1923, before turning to writing. During the First World War he organised and acted as secretary to the Flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
Control Board and also served as legal adviser to the Contracts Departments of the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
and the Ministry of Munitions. In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, with the rank of Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
.
Politics
Guedalla was a parliamentary candidate for the Liberal PartyLiberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
five times, always unsuccessfully.
He first stood for Parliament as a Liberal at the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
in Hackney North
Hackney North (UK Parliament constituency)
Hackney North was a parliamentary constituency in the "The Metropolis" . It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- History :...
in a straight fight with the incumbent Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Sir Walter Greene
Sir Walter Greene, 2nd Baronet
Sir Raymond Greene, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative politician.He was the second son of Edward Greene of Nether Hall, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk and Anne Elizabeth née Royds of Haughton, Staffordshire...
, MP. Greene held the seat with a majority of 4,615 votes.
At the 1923 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
Guedalla was adopted as Liberal candidate for the Derbyshire North East
North East Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency)
North East Derbyshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
constituency. This looked as if it might be a winnable seat for the Liberals as at the general election of 1922
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
the Liberal candidate Stanley Holmes
Stanley Holmes, 1st Baron Dovercourt
Joseph Stanley Holmes, 1st Baron Dovercourt was a British chartered accountant, businessman and National Liberal Party politician.-Background and education:...
had come within 15 votes of taking the seat from Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
in a three-cornered contest. Despite the boost the Liberals had received in the run-up to the 1923 general election with the reunion of the Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
and Asquithian wings of the party, Guedalla was unable to gain Derbyshire North East and fell to the foot of the poll behind the Conservatives. He tried again in Derbyshire North East at the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
but again came third behind the Tories in a three-cornered fight.
Guedalla next attempted to enter the House of Commons as Liberal candidate for Manchester Rusholme
Manchester Rusholme (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester Rusholme was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Rusholme district of Manchester. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. This had been a Liberal seat between 1923 and 1924 having been held by Charles Masterman a former Liberal Cabinet minister
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
. Guedalla maintained second place behind the sitting Tory MP Sir Frank Boyd Merriman but was unable to regain the seat. At the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
Guedalla moved constituencies again, this time to nearby Manchester Withington
Manchester Withington (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester, Withington is a parliamentary constituency in the city of Manchester. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system...
. This was a Liberal seat, held between 1923–1924 and 1929-1931 by Ernest Simon. However in the summer of 1931 an economic crisis led to the formation of a National Government led by prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
supported by a small number of National Labour MPs and initially backed by the Conservative and Liberal parties. In many constituencies the main opposition party to Labour simply assumed the mantle of the Coalition government but in Manchester the Conservative and Liberal parties could not work together to agree an electoral pact, even in the unique circumstances of the national emergency. So Guedalla found himself opposed by Edward Fleming
Edward Fleming
Edward Lascelles Fleming was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.He unsuccessfully contested the Leigh constituency at the 1922 general election, and did not stand again until the 1931 general election, when he won the Manchester Withington seat...
for the Conservatives who won the seat comfortably with a majority of 14,718.
Death
Guedalla died in hospital in London on 16 December 1944 at the age of only 55 years, having contracted an illness during his service in the RAF.Sleuth reference
In the play SleuthSleuth
-Theatre and film:*Sleuth , a 1970 play by Anthony Shaffer*Sleuth , a film adaptation of the Anthony Shaffer play, directed by Joseph L...
by Anthony Shaffer, mystery writer Andrew Wyke says, "Do you agree that the detective story is the normal recreation of noble minds? I'm quoting from Philip Guedalla, a biographer of the thirties, that golden age when every Cabinet Minister had a thriller by his bedside and all detectives were titled."
Works
- Ignes Fatui - A Book of Parodies (Oxford: B.H. Blackwell; London: Simpkin, Marshall, 1911)
- The Partition of Europe: A Textbook of European History, 1715-1815 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1914)
- The Second Empire: Bonapartism, The Prince, The President, The Emperor (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1922)
- Supers and Supermen: Studies in Politics, History and Letters (London: T. Fisher UnwinT. Fisher UnwinT. Fisher Unwin was the London publishing house owned by Thomas Fisher Unwin and founded by him in 1882.The latterly more famous Stanley Unwin started his career by coming to work in his uncle's firm...
, 1920) - Masters and Men (London: ConstableConstable & RobinsonConstable & Robinson Ltd. is an independent British book publisher of fiction and non-fiction works. Founded in Edinburgh in 1795 by Archibald Constable as Constable & Co. it is probably the oldest independent publisher in the English-speaking world still operating under the name of its...
, 1923) essays - The Secret of the Coup d'État: Unpublished Correspondence of Prince Louis Napoleon, MM. De Morny, De Flahault, and Others, 1848-1852 (London: Constable, 1924) with the Earl of KerryEarl of KerryBaron Kerry is an ancient title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created circa 1223 for Thomas Fitzmaurice.In 1325, Maurice FitzMaurice, 4th Baron of Kerry, murdered Diarmaid Óg MacCarthy in the courtroom at Tralee...
- A Gallery (London: Constable, 1924)
- Napoleon and Palestine (London: G. Allen & UnwinAllen & UnwinAllen & 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...
, 1925) - Arthur Davis Memorial Lecture - Essays of To-day and Yesterday (London: G. G. HarrapGeorge G. Harrap and Co.George G. Harrap, Ltd. is a now defunct publisher of high quality specialty books, many of them educational, such as the memoirs of Winston Churchill, or highly illustrated with line drawings, engravings or etchings, such as the much republished classic educational children's book The Cave Boy of...
, 1926) - Palmerston (London: Ernest BennErnest BennSir Ernest John Pickstone Benn, 2nd Baronet was a British publisher, writer and political publicist. His father, John Benn, was a politician, who had been made a baronet in 1914. He was an uncle of the Labour politician Tony Benn.-Biography:Benn was born in Oxted, Surrey...
, 1926) - Independence Day: A Sketchbook (n.p.: J. MurrayJohn Murray (publisher)John Murray is an English publisher, renowned for the authors it has published in its history, including Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Byron, Charles Lyell, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Herman Melville, and Charles Darwin...
, 1926); American edition as Fathers of the Revolution (New York: G. P. Putnam's SonsG. P. Putnam's SonsG. P. Putnam's Sons was a major United States book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group.-History:...
, 1926) - Collected Essays of Philip Guedalla, 4 vols (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1927) - vol. 1 Men of Letters, vol. 2 Men of Affairs, vol. 3 Men of War, vol. 4 Still Life
- Conquistador: American Fantasia (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1927)
- Gladstone and Palmerston: Being the Correspondence of Lord Palmerston With Mr. Gladstone 1851-1865 ([London]: V. Gollancz LtdVictor Gollancz LtdVictor Gollancz Ltd was a major British book publishing house of the twentieth century. It was founded in 1927 by Victor Gollancz and specialised in the publication of high quality literature, nonfiction and popular fiction, including science fiction. Upon Gollancz's death in 1967, ownership...
, 1928) - Bonnet and Shawl (New York: C. Gauge; London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1928)
- Mary Arnold (1928) - reprinted from Bonnet and Shawl
- The Missing Muse and Other Essays (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1928)
- Slings and Arrows: Sayings Chosen from the Speeches of the Rt. Hon. David Lloyd George (London: Cassell and company, 1929) editor
- The Duke (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1931; much reprinted; reissued 1997, isbn 1853266795); American edition as Wellington (New York: HarperHarper & BrothersHarper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins.-History:James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishing business J. & J. Harper in 1817. Their two brothers, Joseph Wesley Harper and Fletcher Harper, joined them...
, 1931) - If the Moors in Spain Had Won (n.p.d., [1931?]), reprinted from If It Had Happened OtherwiseIf It Had Happened OtherwiseIf It Had Happened Otherwise is a 1931 collection of essays edited by J. C. Squire and published by Longmans, Green. Each essay in the collection could be considered alternate history or counterfactual history, a few written by leading historians of the period and one by Winston...
, edited by J. C. SquireJ. C. SquireSir John Collings Squire was a British poet, writer, historian, and influential literary editor of the post-World War I period.- Biography :...
(London: Longmans, GreenLongmanLongman was a publishing company founded in London, England in 1724. It is now an imprint of Pearson Education.-Beginnings:The Longman company was founded by Thomas Longman , the son of Ezekiel Longman , a gentleman of Bristol. Thomas was apprenticed in 1716 to John Osborn, a London bookseller, and...
, 1931) - Argentine Tango (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1932)
- The Queen and Mr. Gladstone (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1933; Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company Inc., 1934)
- The Hundred Days ([London]: Peter Davies, 1934)
- Letters of Napoleon to Marie Louise (1935) introduction, with Charles de la Roncière
- The Hundred Years ([London]: Hodder and Stoughton, 1936)
- Idylls of the Queen (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1937)
- Ragtime and Tango (London : Hodder and Stoughton, 1938)
- Lecture on Modern Biography (Buenos Aires: Argentine Association of English Culture, 1939)
- The Hundredth Year (London: Thornton Butterworth, 1939) - "a record of the year 1936"
- The Jewish Past (London: Jewish Historical Society of EnglandJewish Historical Society of EnglandThe Jewish Historical Society of England was founded in 1893 by several Anglo-Jewish scholars, including Lucien Wolf, who became the society's first president. Early president of the JHSE included Hermann Adler, Joseph Jacobs, Frederick David Mocatta, and Isidore Spielmann...
, 1939) - Presidential address delivered before the Jewish Historical Society of England - The Other Americas (London: HutchinsonHutchinson (publisher)Hutchinson & Co. was an English book publisher, founded in 1887. The company merged with Century Publishing in 1985 to form Century Hutchinson, and was folded into the British Random House Group in 1989, where it remains as an imprint in the Cornerstone Publishing division...
, 1941) - talks given by P. Guedalla and J. A. Camacho between April and July, 1941, in the Home Service programme of the B.B.C. - Mr Churchill (London: PanPan BooksPan Books is an imprint which first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers owned by German publishers, Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....
, 1941) - The Liberators (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1942)
- The Two Marshals: Bazaine, Pétain (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1943)
- Middle East, 1940 to 1942: A Study in Air Power (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1944)
Guedalla also chaired the Royal Institute of International Affairs
Chatham House
Chatham House, formally known as The Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in London whose mission is to analyse and promote the understanding of major international issues and current affairs. It is regarded as one of the world's leading...
study group that prepared the report The Republics of South America (1937)
External links
- Portraits of Philip Guedalla in the National Portrait Gallery (London).