Ernest Raymond
Ernest Raymond was a British author born on December 31, 1888, in Armentières, France. He was the illegitimate son of a British major general, raised by a cruel aunt, which shaped his introspective nature and love for literature, particularly the works of Charles Dickens. Despite a promising start in private education, Raymond's schooling was disrupted by his father's death in 1904, leading him to teach at various preparatory schools. His theological studies culminated in a doctorate from Durham University, and he was ordained in 1914, serving as a chaplain during World War I.
Raymond's literary career began with his first major work, *Tell England: A Study of a Generation* (1922), which portrayed the noble romance of military service through the lives of three boys who volunteer for war. Over his prolific career, he published more than fifty titles, often exploring themes of love, conscience, and social critique through richly drawn characters and engaging narratives. Notable works include *We, the Accused*, which sparked discussions on capital punishment. While his popularity fluctuated, particularly during the rise of experimental literature in the 1960s, Raymond's ability to capture the essence of the Edwardian era through his stories earned him a lasting readership. He passed away on May 14, 1974.
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Ernest Raymond
Writer
- Born: December 31, 1888
- Birthplace: Armentieres, France
- Died: May 14, 1974
Biography
Ernest Raymond was born on New Year’s Eve, 1888, in Armentieres in northern France. The circumstances of his birth were complicated; as he was to learn much later, he was the illegitimate son of a British major general who provided for his son but did not seek any relationship with him. Raymond was raised by a woman he later learned was his aunt, who was unusually cruel to him. Not surprisingly, Raymond was an introspective boy who valued the escape of books, particularly the panoramic narratives of Charles Dickens. Raymond determined early on to become a writer. Although his father provided for private schooling, when he died in 1904, Raymond’s education abruptly shifted to public schools and then stopped altogether. He worked initially as a clerk before accepting teaching posts in undistinguished preparatory schools, first in Sussex, and then in Bath.
In 1912, Raymond, who had struggled with questions about his faith, enrolled in Chichester Theological College. After earning his doctorate in theology from Durham University, he was ordained into the Church of England in 1914 (although he would resign in 1923). In World War I, Raymond served as a chaplain, seeing action in some of the bloodiest engagements in the Middle East. When he returned, he completed a manuscript about three prep school boys who volunteer for military service. Although each dies, the narrative, unlike so much literature generated by the war, argued the noble romance of military service. The book, Tell England: A Study of a Generation (1922), was an immediate best-seller and remained in print for more than a generation.
Raymond thus began what would be a stunningly prolific writing career, publishing more than fifty titles across five decades. He secured a faithful readership with narratives, usually family sagas, that offered compelling plot lines, witty social critiques, vivid characters, lavish descriptions, unabashed sentimentality, and an unadorned prose. Most often his characters face dilemmas over crossed love, crises of conscience that test the balance between the head and heart. In the mid-1930’s, Raymond, his reputation secured, spent a year investigating the British law and order system. The result, We, the Accused, is a psychological portrait of an unassuming teacher who, after years of unhappy marriage, poisons his wife. The book, a best- seller ultimately made into a film, caused a widespread outcry against capital punishment.
Although he served in the military during World War II, Raymond’s productivity never waned. He completed a cycle of sixteen titles that collectively he dubbed The London Gallery, novels that depicted with Dickensian largesse more than a half- century of London life. During the 1960’s and the heyday of experimental narratives, Raymond’s work suffered from critical disdain, although his career briefly revived with A Georgian Love Story (1971), an Edwardian family saga that coincided with a popular nostalgia for the era. He died on May 14, 1974. With the indefatigable energy of Dickens, Raymond captured with humane realism the feel of the Edwardian era in character-driven narratives that use economics, war, and religion to test the implications of conscience.