Return to France
In 1946, the Aldingtons returned to France. Aldington did not feel able to write any more novels after The Romance of Casanova. Instead, he focused on biographies and anthologies.
In 1950, Aldington’s wife, Netta, left him and Aldington became responsible for raising their daughter. In addition, Aldington was experiencing financial problems relating to his 1939 divorce settlement with Michael Patmore, Netta’s former husband. In the same year, Aldington started work on his biography of T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia: A Biographical Enquiry, Collins, 1955), the conclusions of which made Aldington a persona non grata in British publishing.
After a period of financial difficulties, Aldington was lent a house near Sury-en-Vaux, France, and was paid an allowance by Bryher, still H.D.’s companion. Aldington died there in 1962 following a triumphant visit to the U.S.S.R.
Richard Aldington
D.H. Lawrence 1885-1930: An Appreciation
London, Penguin, 1950
Written to accompany the publication by Penguin of a boxed set of 10 titles by D.H. Lawrence with introductions to 8 of the titles by Aldington. Combined with introductions written for Heinemann, Aldington wrote a total of 18 introductions to works by D.H. Lawrence.
Richard Aldington (Editor)
The Religion of Beauty: Selections from the Aesthetes
London, William Heinemann, 1950
Introduction by Richard Aldington
The last of Aldington’s anthologies. This was a selection of pieces from the late nineteenth century British aesthetic movement.
Alister Kershaw
A Bibliography of the Works of Richard Aldington from 1915-1948
Introduction by Richard Aldington
Burlingame, CA, William P. Wreden, 1950
Alister Kershaw (1921-1995) was an Australian poet who subsequently bought and lent to Aldington the house in Maison Sallé near Sury-en-Vaux in which Aldington died in 1962. First published in London in 1950 by the Quadrant Press, this edition was published to preserve U.S. copyright in an edition of 100 copies. This copy is inscribed by the publisher to Lawrence Clark Powell, then Head Librarian at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library of Los Angeles. In 1944, Powell had organized an exhibition of Aldington’s work.
Ian S. MacNiven and Harry T. Moore (Editors)
Literary Lifelines; The Richard Aldington – Lawrence Durrell Correspondence
London, Faber & Faber, 1985
Durrell first wrote to Aldington in 1933. The writers re-established contact in 1957 and the correspondence continued until Aldington’s death in 1962. Durrell tried to help Aldington recover his reputation. This copy is signed by Durrell.
Photographer unknown
Richard Aldington
Photograph, 1961
Per Alister Kershaw, this passport photograph was likely taken for Aldington’s French Carte d’Identé.
Photographer Unknown
Richard Aldington
Photograph
c. 1962
This photograph may have been taken during Aldington’s visit to the U.S.S.R. in June-July 1962 at the invitation of the Soviet Union of Writers to celebrate his 70th birthday. Aldington’s novels were very popular in the U.S.S.R., where they sold in enormous quantities.
