author
Ronald Firbank
1886–1926
A witty, unconventional English novelist, remembered for short, sparkling books full of satire, style, and sharp social observation. His work drew on the fin-de-siècle mood and later won admiration from writers interested in experimental fiction.
4 Audiobooks
Caprice
by Ronald Firbank
Odette: A Fairy Tale for Weary People
by Ronald Firbank
Sorrow in Sunlight
by Ronald Firbank
About the author
Born in London on January 17, 1886, Ronald Firbank was an English novelist whose full name was Arthur Annesley Ronald Firbank. He came from a wealthy family, was educated partly by tutors, and later attended Trinity Hall, Cambridge, though he left without taking a degree.
Firbank wrote a series of brief, highly distinctive novels that relied heavily on dialogue and suggestion rather than conventional plot. His fiction is often associated with the aesthetic spirit of the 1890s and with themes such as religion, social ambition, and sexuality; among the works he is best known for are Vainglory, Valmouth, and Concerning the Eccentricities of Cardinal Pirelli.
He died in Rome on May 21, 1926, at just 40 years old. Although he was never a mass-market author, his singular voice and daring style helped secure his reputation as an important literary original.