Firbank, Ronald

NOVELIST (ENGLAND)
BORN 17 Jan 1886, London - DIED 21 May 1926, Roma, Lazio: Hotel Quirinale, Via Nazionale
BIRTH NAME Firbank, Arthur Annesley Ronald
CAUSE OF DEATH lung disease
GRAVE LOCATION Roma, Lazio: Cimitero Monumentale del Verano, Piazzale del Verano, 1 (Reparto Stranieri, riquadro 38)

Ronald Firbank was the son of Sir Thomas Firbank and the socialite Harriet Jane Garrett. In 1905 he published his first book, "Odette d'Antrevernes, a story". Afterwards he went to Cambridge, but he left in 1909 without a degree.

Several novels followed, among them "Inclinations" (1916) and "Valmouth" (1918). Oscar Wilde was an inspiration for his novels. He used his inheritance to travel in Spain, Italy, the Middle East and North Africa.

It was well known that he was homosexual and he was a very shy person. He drank heavily and smoked cannabis. After he died of a lung disease in Rome he was buried there at the Cimitero Monumentale al Verano. He left a manuscript of an unfinished novel set in New York. His fame rose after his death and his work was highly regarded by Evelyn Waugh, W.H. Auden, Susan Sontag and others.

Images

The grave of Ronald Firbank at the Cimitero Monumentale al Verano, Rome.
Picture by Androom (28 Feb 2015)

 

The grave of Ronald Firbank at the Cimitero Monumentale al Verano, Rome.
Picture by Androom (28 Feb 2015)

 

Sources
Ronald Firbank - Wikipedia


Firth, Mark

Published: 19 Sep 2015
Last update: 11 Feb 2023