author
Frank Swinnerton
1884–1982
A prolific English novelist, critic, biographer, and essayist, he spent decades at the heart of literary life while also helping bring other writers into print. His work ranges from fiction to memoir and criticism, with a clear, lively style that kept him connected to readers for more than half a century.
4 Audiobooks
The Three Lovers
by Frank Swinnerton
Nocturne
by Frank Swinnerton
Coquette
by Frank Swinnerton
R. L. Stevenson : A critical study
by Frank Swinnerton
About the author
Born in Wood Green, Middlesex, in 1884, Frank Swinnerton left school young and went into publishing, first with J. M. Dent and later with Chatto & Windus. That practical start in the book trade shaped the rest of his career: he became not only a novelist, but also a critic, biographer, essayist, and an influential reader for publishers.
Swinnerton wrote more than 50 books across a remarkably long working life. His novels include Nocturne, Harvest Comedy, and A Month in Gordon Square, and he was also known for memoir, literary commentary, and biographies. As a publisher's reader, he is remembered for helping writers such as Aldous Huxley and Lytton Strachey reach print.
Because he lived until 1982, Swinnerton came to seem like a living bridge to an earlier literary England, with personal and professional ties reaching back to figures such as H. G. Wells and Arnold Bennett. That long perspective gives his writing an extra appeal: it feels close to the everyday world of books, writers, and readers, rather than distant or academic.