David Hughes
David Hughes was a British author born in 1930 in Alton, Hampshire, England. He demonstrated early talent in writing and music, participating in local church activities and serving in the British Royal Air Force before pursuing higher education at Oxford University, where he studied English. Hughes began his literary career working for prominent figures in publishing, which ultimately allowed him time to focus on his writing. His first novel was published in 1957, followed by several others, including works inspired by his life in Sweden, where he lived with his first wife, actress Mai Zetterling. Throughout his career, Hughes produced a diverse body of work, including novels, children's books, and biographies, while also contributing film and book reviews to various publications. He received recognition for his literary achievements, including being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Hughes' later years saw him engaged in academia as a visiting professor at several American universities. His writing often reflected personal experiences and historical themes, notable in works like *The Pork Butcher*, which was adapted into a film.
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David Hughes
Writer
- Born: July 27, 1930
- Birthplace: Alton, Hampshire, England
- Died: March 14, 2005
Biography
David Hughes was born in Alton, Hampshire, England, in 1930, the only son of a schoolmaster at Eggar’s Grammar School in Alton and King’s College School in Wimbledon, where David was educated. A precocious child, David wrote reviews of the local church sermons for the newspaper and sang in the choir. He served in the British Royal Air Force and then attended Oxford to study English, fulfilling his father’s lifelong dream for him. After college, Hughes worked for two years for John Lehmann, the editor of London Magazine, and then as a reader for publisher Rupert Hart-Davis. Davis sensed that Hughes was becoming frustrated polishing and revising the work of others, and offered him a half day a week off at full pay to devote to his own writing. His first novel, A Feeling in the Air, was published in 1957, and was quickly followed by two others.
Hughes was introduced to the Swedish actress, Mai Zetterling, and the two fell immediately in love and were married in Oxford in 1958. The couple, along with her two children from a previous marriage, settled in Hampshire, but then moved to Sweden, an experience he wrote about in The Road to Stockholm. While in Sweden, he produced three novels and he and his wife wrote a children’s book. They also worked on films together.
Hughes and Zetterling eventually divorced, although they remained close friends. In 1980, he married Elizabeth Westoll, and began a prolific period in his career, writing The Imperial German Dinner Service (1983), But for Bunter (1985) and The Pork Butcher (1984). The Pork Butcher, a fictional account of Nazi atrocity, sold well, and was made into a film called Souvenir (1989), which Hughes felt did not do justice to his novel. In 1996, he published the strongly autobiographical The Little Book to great critical acclaim. His later works include a biography of Gerald Durrell, Himself and Other Animals, and a biography of A. C. Tait, a nineteenth century Archbishop of Canterbury, The Lent Jewels.
Hughes also wrote film reviews for The Sunday Times in 1982 and 1983, and book and theater reviews for the Daily Mail from 1982 to 1999. He edited the New Fiction Society’s magazine from 1975 to 1978, and edited the annual Best Short Stories from 1986 to 1995. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was elected life vice-president in 1996. He also was visiting professor of writing at the University of Iowa, the University of Alabama, and the University of Houston.