Herbert Ernest Bates was a famous English short story writer of the 20th century. During his life, he put out more than 20 collections of short stories. He was also a great author of books like “Love for Lydia,” which is an unusual love story, “Fair Stood the Wind for France,” which is one of the best English war novels, and “The Scarlet Sword,” which is set in Kashmir, India. Most of his stories are about life in the countryside, especially in Northamptonshire, which is where he grew up. The famous movies “The Purple Plain,” with Gregory Peck, and “The Mating Game,” based on his book “The Darling Buds of May,” were made from his books. The TV versions of his books, especially “The Darling Buds of May,” became more popular than the movies that were made from them. Anton Chekhov encouraged him to write short stories, and his knowledge of the history of short stories helped him write “Modern Short Story,” which is a good example of his work as a literary critic. He also liked gardening a lot and had written books about flowers. He wrote a lot, and during his life, he put out more than 60 books.
Early years and childhood
Albert Ernest Bates and Lucy Elizabeth gave birth to H.E. Bates on May 16, 1905. His father was part of a family that made shoes. His parents were Methodists, but by the time he was in his twenties, he didn’t believe in any organized religion.
Even though he didn’t pass the test to get into public school, he did get into Kettering Grammar School, where his English teacher, Edmund Kirby, encouraged him to become a writer.
At 16, he started working as a reporter for a local paper, but he didn’t like it. Later, he worked in a warehouse, where he had a lot of time to write.
H. E. Bates’s Career
His first book, “The Two Sisters,” which came out in 1926, was actually his second book. He had thrown away the first one. This book was also turned down by nine publishers before it was picked up by Jonathan Cape’s Edward Garnett.
After his book did well, he moved to London and got a job in the children’s section of the bookstore owned by John and Edward Bumpus. For the Bumpus brothers, he wrote a fantasy story for kids called “The Seekers.” This was his last job with a company.
The 1929 book “Catherine Foster,” which was based on Madame Bovary, didn’t have his own style, which he developed later as a rural chronicler.
In the 1930s, he grew up as a writer, and his book “Charlotte’s Row,” which came out in 1931, was about his life in Northamptonshire. With his book “The Poacher,” he proved himself to be a lyrical and unbiased historian of English country life.
His short story collections, like “The Woman Who Had Imagination,” which came out in 1934, made him a well-known modern short story writer. The next year, he published a collection of short stories called “Cut and Come Again.” This was seen as his best work as a short story writer and as the English answer to Chekov.
His collection of stories, “My Uncle Silas,” came out in 1939. It was based on his farmer uncle, Joseph Betts, and became very popular. Later, “Uncle Silas Tales,” a TV show, made him even more famous.
World War II was a big part of his work life. In 1941, he was asked to write short stories for the RAF. He used the pen name “Flying Officer X” to write short stories that were published in the “News Chronicle.” Later, they were put together in two books called “The Greatest People in the World” and “How to Sleep the Brave.”
After he switched to a new publishing house, Michael Joseph, he wrote the war novel “Fair Stood the Wind for France,” which was a huge commercial success. He stayed with Michael Joseph for the rest of his life.
After the war, he wrote a lot of best-selling books, like “The Purple Plain,” which is about his trip to Burma and came out in 1947. It was turned into a movie with Gregory Peck in the lead role.
“The Scarlet Sword,” which came out in 1950, was about a Catholic mission in Kashmir at a time when India and Pakistan were being split up.
After the war, he wrote a lot of short stories, collections of short stories, and novels. In 1952, he wrote “Love for Lydia,” which was about a young reporter and the young daughter of a rich man who had just lost her mother. It was a very unusual love story.
The Darling Buds of May, which came out in 1958, was his most popular book. Inspired by a person he saw in a shop in Kent, he made up the Larkin family. He then wrote a series of stories about them, and his son later made them into a TV series.
One of his best books for kids is “The White Admiral,” which came out in 1968. He wrote it near the end of his life. Near the end of his life, he also wrote autobiographical works called “The Vanished World,” “The Blossoming World,” and “The World in Ripeness.”
Works of note
His first big commercial hit was “Fair Stood the Wind for France.” It was about the Second World War. It’s about a pilot who landed his plane in an area of France that was occupied by the Germans, and about a French farmer’s family. Later, in 1980, BBC turned it into a TV show.
The most well-known work by H.E. Bates is “The Darling Buds of May.” Pop, Ma, Mariette, and the children of the Larkin family, who are shown in the book, will live on forever. He saw himself in Pop, a person he’d met in a store in Kent. This book was a big hit, and his son, Richard Bates, turned it into a TV series.
Awards & Achievements
In June 1973, he was given the title of CBE, which stands for Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Personal History and Legacies
In 1931, Bates married Marjorie Helen. They moved to Little Chart, a village in Kent. They lived on a farm, which had a large garden.
There were two boys and two girls. His son Richard later made some of his father’s books into TV shows that did pretty well. His youngest son, Jonathan, works as a sound engineer in movies. His work on the movie Gandhi got him a nomination for an Academy Award.
Graham Greene said that Bates was an excellent short story writer and Anton Chekov’s English successor.
He passed away on January 29, 1974. A road in his hometown of Rushden was named after him.
Estimated Net worth
H.E. Bates has an estimated net worth of $9 million, and he makes most of his money as a writer, journalist, and screenwriter. We don’t know enough about H.E. Bates’ cars or his way of life.
Trivia
This famous British author used to go for walks in Northamptonshire at midnight. During one of these walks, he saw a light burning in the window of a cottage, which gave him the idea for his first book, “Two Sisters.”
This British author wrote a lot, and he loved gardening. He also wrote a lot about flowers.