Hilaire Belloc
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (/hɪˈlɛər ˈbɛlək/, French: [ilɛːʁ bɛlɔk]; 27 July 1870[1] – 16 July 1953) was a Franco-English writer and historian of the early 20th century. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. His Catholic faith had a strong effect on his works.
Hilaire Belloc
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc
27 July 1870
La Celle-Saint-Cloud, Seine-et-Oise, France
16 July 1953 (aged 82)
Guildford, Surrey, England
- Writer
- politician
- British (from 1902)
1896–1953
- Poetry
- history
- essays
- politics
- economics
- travel literature
5
- Bessie Rayner Parkes (mother)
- Marie Belloc Lowndes (sister)
Belloc became a naturalised British subject in 1902 while retaining his French citizenship.[2] While attending Oxford University, he served as President of the Oxford Union. From 1906 to 1910, he served as one of the few openly Catholic members of the British Parliament.
Belloc was a noted disputant, with a number of long-running feuds. He was also a close friend and collaborator of G. K. Chesterton. George Bernard Shaw, a friend and frequent debate opponent of both Belloc and Chesterton, dubbed the pair the "Chesterbelloc".[3][4][5]
Belloc's writings encompassed religious poetry and comic verse for children. His widely sold Cautionary Tales for Children included "Jim, who ran away from his nurse, and was eaten by a lion" and "Matilda, who told lies and was burned to death".[6] He wrote historical biographies and numerous travel works, including The Path to Rome (1902).[7]
Sussex[edit]
Belloc grew up in Slindon and spent most of his life in West Sussex. He always wrote of Sussex as if it were the crown of England and the western Sussex Downs the jewel in that crown.[54] He loved Sussex as the place where he was brought up, considering it his earthly "spiritual home".[54]
Belloc wrote several works about Sussex including Ha'nacker Mill, The South Country, the travel guide Sussex (1906) and The County of Sussex (1936). One of his best-known works relating to Sussex is The Four Men: A Farrago (1911), in which the four characters, each aspects of Belloc's personality,[55][56] travel on a pilgrimage across the county from Robertsbridge to Harting.[56] The work has influenced others including musician Bob Copper, who retraced Belloc's steps in the 1980s.[56]
Belloc was also a lover of Sussex songs[57] and wrote lyrics for some songs which have since been put to music.[57] Belloc is remembered in an annual celebration in Sussex, known as Belloc Night, that takes place on the writer's birthday, 27 July, in the manner of Burns Night in Scotland.[58] The celebration includes reading from Belloc's work and partaking of a bread and cheese supper with pickles.[58]
