Strachey, Bloomsbury, and Charleston.

Of all my literary heroes from the past, I haven't heard the name of Lytton Strachey mentioned for quite some while. Maybe he is simply 'out of fashion'; if indeed he was ever 'in'.

I first came upon him whilst still at school. I was doing a project about the role of Florence Nightingale in world medicine, and discovered his book 'Eminent Victorians' (in which she featured). Strachey's writing, and highly individual perspective, made him appeal at once.

These days I associate Strachey with Charleston; the Bloomsbury group home on the other side of The Downs from Brighton. Strachey didn't actually live there but was a frequent visitor to Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, and others. This portrait of LS (below) is by Dora Carrington.

Much later I bought Michael Holroyd's rather heavy-going biography of Strachey, which I still have; and occasionally browse.

In many ways LS was a man of 'fringe importance'. He appealed to a specific audience, and his critical writings only appeared in 'fringe publications'. Regardless, there is something essentially 'English' about his writing. Very 'Bloomsbury'.

LS lived in Wiltshire, at Ham Spray House, near Marlborough (below). The photo shows L to R Carrington, Frank Partridge, and LS himself.

I think Strachey is now ripe for a revival. A BBC biopic maybe. Or even a Bloomsbury Romcom? I would, of course, play the part of scruffy painter Duncan Grant.

This (below) is me back in 2022 in France, reading a letter from Virginia Nicholson (co-author of the ultimate Charleston book I'm holding). She had written the book with her father Quentin Bell (son of Clive and Vanessa Bell), but he sadly died just before its publication. She wrote to me "From one of the authors, and in memory of the other, best wishes, etc". The book, and her kind letter, is one of my treasured possessions.

The Bloomsbury Group were certainly people about whom there is plenty of scandalous subject matter. It would make 'essential' viewing (Channel 4 maybe?).