Author Andrew Lycett reveals private life of detective novelist Wilkie Collins at Primrose Hill Library
Author Andrew Lycett at a reading of his book about Wilkie Collins at Primrose Hill Library - Credit: Archant
Described as a revelation of “sex, drugs and prolific fiction”, a biography detailing the private life of one of the greatest detective novelists was revealed in an illustrated talk at Primrose Hill Community Library.
Wilkie Collins: A Life of Sensation by Andrew Lycett peels away the private life of the former Hampstead resident who wrote what T.S. Eliot deemed “the first and greatest English detective novel of all time”, The Moonstone, in 1868.
Collins’ novels have been celebrated for exposing some of the secrecies hidden in Victorian life.
An unmarried, committed opium addict with two different families, Collins had his secrets laid bare by author Mr Lycett during a talk at the library on October 14.
Mr Lycett, 64, who lives in Primrose Hill, said: “His life was full of sensational experiences and yet I was surprised at how he still managed to remain his own man.
You may also want to watch:
“He never got married and he was never seduced by high Victorian society.
“His story has such a great relevance to the local area as well.
Most Read
- 1 North London floods return – with South End Green deluged again
- 2 'The euphoria felt like the Summer of Love' – Kaleidoscope at Ally Pally
- 3 Callum Chambers could be Arsenal's starting right-back
- 4 'Like the Fleet's resurfaced': Flash flooding hits Hampstead and Highgate
- 5 Arsenal signing Simone Boye Sorensen says she needed a 'new start'
- 6 'Wartime spirit' as residents save shops from flash floods
- 7 Haverstock Hill cycle lanes set for approval by Camden Council – again
- 8 Flash floods 'three feet high' leave basement flats 'uninhabitable'
- 9 On the fringe: Great shows in north London this summer
- 10 5 great places in north London to get away from the summer crowds
“He used to live in Hampstead, at the site where the Royal Free Hospital sits now, and he would often write his novels in Highgate – which he used to refer to as ‘the countryside’.”
