The gentleman complex
Sir: My attention was caught by Patrick Leigh Fermor's letter, written from his hos- pital bed (Letters, 3 July), in which he takes issue with my review of Sarah Bradford's Sacheverell Sitwell. I think the confusion arises from Mr Leigh Fermor's preoccupa- tions being almost entirely social, whereas mine were almost entirely artistic. It was not outrageous of me to claim that Sacheverell's early life was brushed by the greatness of the Modern Movement in art and that it fell away from that, largely on account of his marriage to a woman of con- ventional social ambitions. I am no stranger to the charming caprice of Lord Berners,
nor to the elegant prose of Peter Quennell; Mr Leigh Fermor's books I've not read but many people assure me they are wonderful. However the work of these men, which seriously challenges nothing, is simply not comparable to that of Diaghilev, Stravin- sky, Picasso and Cocteau, who challenged everything and remade the whole cultural landscape of their times. I am not the first to regret that too many men of the arts in England are enfeebled by the gentleman complex, getting along in society, and in consequence fail to grow up. Cyril Connolly analysed this failure of courage with devas- tating accuracy many years ago.
Duncan Fallowell
44 Leamington Road Villas, London W11
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