Nicholas Blake

Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Ed. by Chris Baldick, Goldsmiths College, University of London
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Birmingham Newman University), Louise McDonald (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Dates

Born 27 Apr 1904
Died 22 May 1972
Activity 1934-1968

Places

Born in Ireland, Republic of (Eire)
Active in England

Genres and Modes

Crime and Detective

Activities

Primary

Fiction

Resources

Blake's Works

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Nicholas Blake was the pen-name used by the English poet and critic Cecil Day-Lewis (1904-72: see our separate article under that name) for the publication of his detective mystery novels and thrillers. Meanwhile, his poems and critical writings appeared under an unhyphenated form of his name, as works by C. Day Lewis. He turned to writing detective fiction in 1934 because the cost of repairing the roof of his Gloucestershire cottage could not be covered by his salary as a schoolmaster. His earnings as “Nicholas Blake” soon allowed him to give up teaching for writing full-time. The chosen pseudonym was a combination of his second son’s forename with his mother’s middle name.

The light fiction published under the Nicholas Blake name amounted to twenty novels appearing between 1935

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595 words

Citation: Baldick, Chris. "Nicholas Blake". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 April 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=437, accessed 03 December 2024.]