Post-war Siegfried Sassoon

green plaque on site of sassoon s former home in tufton street, westminster, london



a handwritten letter sassoon arthur quiller-couch, possibility of quiller-couch writing daily herald.


editor , novelist

having lived period @ oxford, spent more time visiting literary friends studying, dabbled briefly in politics of labour movement, , in 1919 took post literary editor of socialist daily herald. lived @ 54 tufton street, westminster 1919 1925; house no longer standing, location of former home marked memorial plaque.

during period @ herald, sassoon responsible employing several eminent names reviewers, including e. m. forster , charlotte mew, , commissioned original material names arnold bennett , osbert sitwell. artistic interests extended music. while @ oxford introduced young william walton, whom became friend , patron. walton later dedicated portsmouth point overture sassoon in recognition of financial assistance , moral support.

sassoon later embarked on lecture tour of usa, travelling in europe , throughout britain. acquired car, gift publisher frankie schuster, , became renowned among friends lack of driving skill, did not prevent him making full use of mobility gave him.

sassoon great admirer of welsh poet henry vaughan. on visit wales in 1923, paid pilgrimage vaughan s grave @ llansantffraed, powys, , there wrote 1 of best-known peacetime poems, @ grave of henry vaughan . deaths within short space of time of 3 of closest friends – edmund gosse, thomas hardy , frankie schuster – came serious setback personal happiness.

at same time, sassoon preparing take new direction. while in america, had experimented novel. in 1928, branched out prose, memoirs of fox-hunting man, anonymously-published first volume of fictionalised autobiography, accepted classic, bringing author new fame humorous writer. book won 1928 james tait black award fiction. sassoon followed memoirs of infantry officer (1930) , sherston s progress (1936). in later years, revisited youth , manhood 3 volumes of genuine autobiography, acclaimed. these old century, weald of youth , siegfried s journey.