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1870-1953
Born in La Celle St. Cloud, near Paris, France on the 27th July 1870, to Louis Belloc, a French Barrister, and Elizabeth Parkes Belloc (1829-1925), (Bessie Rayner Parkes).
In December 1871 the family moved to Westminster in London, where young Belloc attended Mrs Case's Preparatory School in Hampstead. Six years later the family relocated again to Arundel in the South Downs.
In September 1880 Belloc began studying at the Oratory School in Edgbaston, Birmingham, where he was awarded the English Prize. It was whilst here that he wrote his first work entitled Buzenval, not published until 1888.
After an unsuccessful spell in the French army, in 1893 Belloc was awarded a scholarship at Balliol College, Oxford. He became a naturalised British subject in 1902, and a Liberal MP in 1906, but, disillusioned with politics, did not seek re-election in 1910.
He was a close friend of G K Chesterton, who illustrated many of his books. Although he is well known for his nonsensical verse for children, becoming famous with The bad child's book of beasts (1895), he also wrote many novels, essays, travel books, several historical studies, including Danton (1899), and religious works. He was an energetic Roman Catholic who would not compromise on his beliefs. Several books were published every year until his death. He is now recognised as one of the great writers of English prose and high quality verse.
Hilaire lost a son, Louis, in the 1914-18 war, and his other son, Peter, in the 1939-46 war. These deaths, as well as losing his wife in 1910, caused his health to fail. He suffered a stroke and lingered for eleven years before dying in July 1953 at his home in Sussex. He is buried at West Grinstead.
The following works marked with an asterisk (*) are available in the West Midlands Creative Literature Collection:-
Buzenval (1888)
The bad child's book of beasts (1895)
Danton (1899)
Path to Rome *(1902)
Hills and the sea *(1906)
Mr Clutterbuck's election *(1908)
On everything *(1909)
Girondin *(1911)
Four men, a farrago *(1912)
Warfare in England *(1912)
This and that and the other *(1912)
A picked company *(1915)
Mercy of Allah *(1922)
Sonnets and verse *(1923)
On *(1923)
Many cities *(1928)
Cautionary verses *(1940)
Matilda who told lies, and was burned to death*
Chanty of the Nona*
Books about the author
The following works are available in the West Midlands Creative Literature Collection:-
Belloc, a biographical anthology (1970) by Herbert Van
Thal and Jane Soames Nickerson
The life of Hilaire Belloc (1957) by Robert Speaight
Further information about Hilaire Belloc can be found at www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk.
Page created 2 September 2002 and last
updated 28 October 2002
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