Anthony P. Stone

Anthony West, born Anthony Panther West Fairfield, was an English author and literary critic whose life and work often reflected his parentage. His parents were the prominent writers Rebecca West and H. G. Wells, though they never married. West's literary career spanned from the 1950s to the late 1970s, during which he contributed reviews to The New Yorker and authored novels, essays, and nonfiction.

His novel "Heritage" (1955) is considered a thinly veiled autobiography detailing the struggles of a child with famous, neglectful parents, a work that caused a rift with his mother. West admired his father throughout his life, and his biography of H. G. Wells, "H. G. Wells: Aspects of a Life" (1984), was seen by some as an effort to reconcile his father's legacy. Other notable works include the novel "The Vintage" (1949), historical books like "Elizabethan England" and "All About the Crusades," and "Mortal Wounds" (1973), an examination of notable 19th-century women.

West was married twice, first to Katharine Church, with whom he had two children, and later to Lily Emmet. He died at the age of 73 in Stonington, Connecticut, following a stroke. His writing was critically acclaimed, with "The Vintage" earning the Houghton Mifflin Award.

Anthony West established himself as a versatile author and critic, contributing reviews to The New Yorker from the 1950s through the late 1970s. His body of work includes novels, essays, and nonfiction. A significant aspect of his literary output was its engagement with his own family background. His novel "Heritage" (1955) served as a roman à clef, depicting a boy neglected by famous parents, a narrative that drew heavily from his own experiences with his renowned mother, Rebecca West, and father, H. G. Wells. This work created significant familial tension, with his mother threatening legal action if it were published in Britain, where it eventually appeared in 1984 after her death. West's admiration for his father is evident in his biography, "H. G. Wells: Aspects of a Life" (1984), which some critics viewed as an attempt to redress historical perceptions of Wells.

West's novel "The Vintage" (1949), published in Britain as "On a Dark Night," received critical praise for its exploration of existential themes, with Boucher and McComas describing it as a "brilliantly terrifying exploration of the theme that each age creates its own peculiar species of hell and Devil." Beyond fiction and biography, West delved into historical subjects, producing works such as "Elizabethan England" and "All About the Crusades." His book "Mortal Wounds" (1973) offered an examination of the lives of three significant 19th-century women, including Anne Louise Germaine de Staël. His literary essays were collected in "Principles and Persuasions."