A. P. Herbert
A. P. Herbert was a notable English writer and politician, renowned for his contributions to literature and social reform. Born in 1890 in Surrey, he spent much of his career at *Punch* magazine, where his sharp wit gained him considerable acclaim. Herbert had a distinguished academic background, winning several literary awards during his schooling at Winchester and later studying classics and law at New College, Oxford. His experiences during World War I profoundly influenced his work, leading him to publish his first novel, *The Secret Battle*, in 1919, which highlighted the tragic fate of soldiers wrongfully executed during wartime. This novel played a significant role in prompting the British government to grant pardons to such soldiers in 1993.
Herbert's most famous work, *The Water Gipsies*, published in 1930, explores themes of social class and human compassion. Additionally, his novel *Holy Deadlock* inspired legislative changes regarding divorce laws in Britain and contributed to his election as a Member of Parliament for Oxford University, a position he held from 1935 to 1950. Throughout his life, Herbert published a number of novels and an autobiography, showcasing his literary prowess and commitment to addressing pressing social issues. His legacy reflects a blend of creativity and advocacy for reform in British society.
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A. P. Herbert
Writer
- Born: September 24, 1890
- Birthplace: Ashstead Common, Surrey, England
- Died: November 11, 1971
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
A. P. Herbert spent sixty of his eighty-one years working for Punch, where his trenchant wit was greatly appreciated. Born in Ashstead Common in Surrey, England, Alan was the eldest of Patrick and Beatrice Selwyn Herbert’s three sons. He graduated from Winchester before entering New College, Oxford, in 1910. Always recognized for his distinguished writing, as a student at Winchester, he was awarded the King’s Gold Medal for English Verse, the Silver Medal for English speech, and another prize for verse in Latin. At Oxford, he studied Greek and Roman classics while earning his degree in law in 1914. That year, he married Gwendolen Harriet Quilter, a marriage hastened by the outbreak of World War I, into which Herbert was quickly drawn.
Despite suffering the ravages of war firsthand at Gallipoli, where Herbert was injured in battle, he continued to write, producing two volumes of poetry by war’s end. In 1919, he published his first novel, The Secret Battle, which attracted the attention of David Lloyd George, Britain’s prime minister. George recommended the book to Winston Churchill. The book went into several editions, with Churchill providing the introduction to the third edition in 1928. The story is an account of the trial and execution of a British soldier, Henry Penrose, who was actually a hero, but in the passion of wartime, was falsely convicted of cowardice. This novel, like Herbert’s later novels, presented a pressing problem and caused Parliament to consider some of the protocols that resulted in such a barbarous act. Largely because of this book, the British government in 1993 granted pardons to British soldiers who, like Penrose, were executed erroneously.
In 1930, Herbert’s most celebrated novel, The Water Gipsies, was published. It deals with the stratification of English society, focusing on a middle-class family and its maid, Jane Bell. The book reveals Herbert’s warmth, compassion, and social sensitivity as he contrasts the lives of people representing two distinct social classes. It is, however, his next novel, Holy Deadlock, that brought about parliamentary change and probably resulted in Herbert’s serving a fifteen-year term as a member of the House of Commons representing Oxford University. He served from 1935 to 1950, when the custom of having university representatives was abolished.
Holy Deadlock focuses on the convoluted British divorce laws of its day. Herbert, as a member of the House of Commons, was instrumental in seeing the Marriage Bill, a significant piece of legislation, passed in 1936. His novel proved extremely persuasive in bringing about this much-needed change. Herbert published two more novels in his lifetime as well as an autobiography, A. P. H.: His Life and Times, in 1970.