Elspeth Huxley
Elspeth Huxley was a British author and biographer, born in 1907, who spent much of her early life in Kenya, where her family established a coffee plantation. She pursued agricultural studies at Reading University and Cornell University before embarking on a diverse career that included roles in public service, such as a member of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s advisory council and a justice of the peace. Huxley is known for her mystery novels set in Africa, featuring the character Superintendent Vachell, which blend traditional detective story elements with vivid African backdrops. Her writing has garnered comparisons to renowned crime writers and is noted for its intricate plots. Among Huxley’s most celebrated works are her semiautobiographical trilogy, which reflects her experiences in both Africa and the West. She was recognized for her contributions to literature and society, becoming a Companion of the British Empire in 1960. Huxley's legacy continues to be explored through her works, which offer insights into colonial Africa and British life. She passed away in 1997.
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Elspeth Huxley
- Born: July 23, 1907
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: January 10, 1997
- Place of death: Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England
Biography
Elspeth Huxley was born in 1907 to Major Josceline and Eleanor Grant. When she was five, her family moved to Kenya so her father could start a coffee plantation. She spent most of her childhood there. She studied at Reading University where she received a Diploma in Agriculture in 1927. The next year, she also attended Cornell University. She was assistant press officer for a marketing board, a member of the general advisory council of the British Broadcasting Corporation from 1952 to 1959, a member of the Monckton Advisory Commission on Central Africa for a year, and a justice of the peace for Wiltshire from 1946 to 1977. In 1960, she became a companion of the British Empire.
In 1939, after traveling with her husband, Gervas Huxley, a distant cousin of Aldous Huxley, they settled down on a farm in Wiltshire, England. Nevertheless, Africa remained important to Huxley, as it is the setting for most of her work. Her first novel, a mystery, was published in 1937. Huxley’s mysteries, set in Africa, contain many traditional detective story elements--such as a timetable of what was going on at the time of the murder, clues like fingerprints, missing letters, bullets, multiple suspects, red herrings, and a wary detective.
Huxley’s first three mystery novels feature Superintendent Vachell, who is the head of the Chania Criminal Investigation Department. Vachell is an American who has traveled around the globe. He spent time in the Arctic areas of Canada, in India, and finally settled in Chania. A critic, in reviewing her second mystery novel, called her “a dangerous rival to Agatha Christie, Mignon G. Eberhart, and other ornaments of the international crime choir.” Another reviewer wrote that it was “a complicated web of clue and counter-clue, clever enough to entrance and entangle even the most experienced detective fan.”
A Man From Nowhere, published in 1964, explores the result of how Britain arranged for Africa’s independence. The story concerns Dick Heron, who, in response to the murder of his brother, plans an assassination. Perhaps Huxley’s best-known books are her trilogy of semiautobiographical books: The Flame Trees of Thika, On the Edge of the Rift, and Love Among the Daughters: Memories of the Twenties in England and America, published in 1959, 1962, and 1968 respectively. She died in 1997.