A Thoroughly Mischievous Person: The Other Arthur Ransome by Alan Kennedy
Published by The Lutterworth Press
Who could resist at least glancing at a book with that title. And, for the fans of Swallows and Amazons amongst us, more than just a quick look. But, this isn’t a book about children sailing in the Lake District. As the title indicates, this is about ‘The Other Arthur Ransome’.
How best to describe it? To me it’s the book the adult Dick Callum* would have written – serious and factual – but edited by Dorothea Callum* to add her own (and Ransome’s) brand of imagination, together recording the many strands of his multi faceted life, his many interests and experiences and, above all, demonstrating he was more than just the author of children’s books.
Alan Kennedy delves into and presents a huge amount of detail about what was apparently an extraordinary life of contrasts, from a troubled first marriage, to his later marriage to Trotsky’s secretary, Evgenia, his support for the Russian Revolution and, of course, his writing which included a collection of Russian folklore and even a gothic romance, as well as his work as a journalist and foreign correspondent.
Considering his books (he’d written over twenty by the time Swallows and Amazons was published) on topics as varied as fishing and biographies of Oscar Wilde and Edgar Alan Poe, I’ve often wondered whether, like actor John Laurie, best known for Dad’s Army rather than for his previous career as a Shakespearean actor, Ransome regretted that he was best, or even only, known for his work in later life.
I won’t spoil the book by referring to Alan’s conclusions about Ransome’s personality and experiences and how they contribute to themes he returns to in his books, but I will admit to agreeing with his conclusion about the creation of the character Titty Walker, to me, the best drawn of all the children in his books, and the one most closely modelled on real life. As Alan, suggests perhaps the clues to his enduring stories lie in his own extraordinary life and his wide ranging curiosity.
My copy already looks the worse for wear, the result of turning pages forward and backwards to link areas of Ransome’s life and experiences to assess whether in his case, life reflected art or vice versa. ‘Mixed Moss’ by A Rolling Stone, the title of Captain Flint’s memoirs, would be well suited to Ransome’s own life.
More than just a biography, a fascinating analysis of a complex and intriguing man.
* Dick and Dot are children (a scientist and author respectively) first appearing in Arthur Ransome’’s book ‘Winter Holiday’