BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATIONThe following material has largely been derived from Arthur Mizener's biography of Ford, The Saddest Story, The World Publishing Company, 1971, second printing. The following (for some reason) ended up focusing primarily on Ford's many affairs. Unfortunately, the following can't give you even the remotest idea of how prolific a writer, or how committed an artist, he really was.Ford was born in England on December 17, 1873. He was christened Ford Hermann Hueffer. His father had moved to England from Germany as a young man and Anglicized his name from Franz Carl Christoph Johannes Huffer to Francis Hueffer. His mother, Catherine Emma Brown, was the daughter of Ford Madox Brown, one of the leading Pre-Raphaelite painters in London. Ford was the eldest of 3 children (brother Oliver, sister Juliet). Francis Hueffer died suddenly in 1889 of a heart attack. His unexpected death was a severe financial as well as emotional hardship for the family. Catherine Hueffer and her sons went to live with her father, and for a short time Juliet went to live with the Rossetti's. Ford visited his German relatives and was encouraged by his mother to convert to Catholicism in the hopes of appealing to the devout family for financial assistance, whether immediate or in the form of an eventual legacy. In 1892, November 2, he was baptized Joseph Leopold Ford Hermann Hueffer. He continued to use Ford as his first name. In 1893, his grandfather died and Ford added "Madox" to his name in his honor. On May 17, 1894, Ford eloped with Elsie Martindale, whom he had known since they were children. While his mother approved of Elsie, she was concerned over his health (fearful of heart disease) and that an early marriage would be harmful. The Martindale's objections were not as open. Elsie had suffered from tuberculosis of her bones, and it had settled in her knee and her chest. While she was not currently afflicted, she was delicate, and because of her knee, prone to falls. Also, unknown to Elsie and Ford, Mary (Elsie's older sister who was mentally unstable) was also in love with Ford and her parents feared for her sanity if Elsie married Ford. The relationship between Ford and Elsie was of long standing, and they eloped under pressure by her father to cease all contact and communication. They were married as her father filed to have her made a ward of the state and bar Ford from all contact. They began their married life very poor, and Ford would have financial troubles for the rest of his life. They had two daughters, Christina and Katherine. His daughters were raised with the Catholic tradition, Ford wishing them to choose later in life which faith they would follow. In 1898 Ford met Joseph Conrad and, at Conrad's suggestion, they began a collaboration that would last 11 years. In 1901/2 Ford had a long term affair with Mary, Elsie's sister. The two families had reconciled and the Martindale's had encouraged the couple to move to their neighborhood. Mary was still infatuated with Ford and Ford was not unwilling. His marriage was beginning to feel some strain. In 1904 Ford had his first nervous breakdown, the effects of which lasted for three years. In 1908 Ford began as editor of The English Review and also began his affair with Violet Hunt. Ford eventually asked Elsie for a divorce, but Elsie refused. In 1910 Ford and Violet Hunt visited Germany (this was the trip in which they visited Bad Nauheim). He attempted to get a German divorce from Elsie, claiming German citizenship through his father, re-adopting the use of his German names, his Catholicism, and living in a community in the hopes of convincing the government of his desirability as a citizen. He was unable to get either citizenship or a divorce. However, pressured to regularize their relationship by Violet, they had a 'marriage ceremony' and returned to England claiming that they were man and wife. This backfired when Elsie sued a newspaper for referring to Violet Hunt as Mrs. Hueffer. In the course of the lawsuit, the publicity significantly damaged Ford and Violet, and Elsie won the suit. Violet continued in private to protest that they were indeed married, and informed Mrs. Hueffer that she would not reveal details of the marriage ceremony in case Elsie wanted to sue Ford for bigamy. In 1915 Ford enlisted after working for the government as a war propaganda writer. Violet became convinced that he was trying to escape her as their relationship had suffered in the last years. He dropped most of the German aspects of his name, changing it to Ford Madox Hueffer. He was badly shell-shocked during the war and had another breakdown, the effects of which again lasted several years. In 1916 he met Stella Bowen. In 1919, Jan. he 'gazetted' out of his commission in the army. In June, he changed his last name to Ford partially because of anti-German sentiment in England after the war, and also to prevent any lawsuits if Stella was referred to as his wife. He and Stella moved into a small country house together at a secret address. Violet managed to track them down, traveled to their home, and stared at them over the fence. In 1920, he and Stella had a daughter, Esther Julia. In Paris, he began The Transatlantic Review and sank all of his and Stella's available capital into the project. 1924, a short affair with Jean Rhys in Paris marked the beginning of the end of his relationship with Stella. The Review had folded by this point. 1927, on a visit to America to push his books, he met Mrs. Rene Wright. They 'fall in love' but she refused to be his mistress. 1928, Ford ends his relationship with Stella, they remain amicable. Ford tries Elsie again for a divorce so he can marry Rene, but she refuses again. The relationship with Rene Wright eventually petered out. 1930, Ford met Janice Biala and they stayed together for the rest of his life. 1937, Ford started lecturing at Olivet College in Michigan as writer and critic in residence. The college gave him an honorary L.L.D.. 1939, June 26, Ford died of heart failure after several years of deteriorating ill health. Throughout his life, Ford managed to alienate almost every publisher with whom he worked. He was terrible with money, improvident, unable to save, impossibly generous to his friends and to causes he believed in (like the Transatlantic Review), and always in debt to friends, agents, publishers for advances on books that didn't sell. He maintained the illusion of the great gentleman until his death. He was a mentor and an advocate for talented young writers, and brought many to the attention of publishers. He was notorious for his ego and his 'improvement' of the past. He was also incredibly insecure and sensitive. His disappointment and rage over his unsuccessful books reflected not only his belief that society should support its artists comfortably, but an underlying fear that his work really wasn't good. He was a friend, acquaintance, or mentor to most of the young artists of his times. His huge and wide-ranging circle included over the years: H.James, T.Dreiser, J.Conrad, Wyndham Lewis, E.Pound, the Bennett family, D.H.Lawrence, J.Joyce, Galsworthy, H.D. (one of his amanuenses), E.Hemingway, H.G.Wells, G.Stein, E.Welty, K.A.Porter, R.Lowell, W.C.Williams, S.Crane, Alan and Caroline Tate. Between 1891 and 1938, Ford wrote 81 books, 419 contributions to periodicals, and 57 miscellaneous contributions to other men's books. By all accounts, he was an excellent cook, a tireless host, and an indifferent farmer. He loved children and idolozied Henry James. He lent his money, when he had it, to friends regardless of his own difficulties. He could spot brilliant writing, or its potential, by reading one page of text. A short list of his works includes (by publication date): The Shifting Fire (1892), The Inheritors (1901), Romance (1903), The Benefactor (1905), The Fifth Queen (1906), Privy Seal (1907), An English Girl (1907), The Fifth Queen Crowned (1908), Mr. Apollo (1908), The "Half Moon" (1909), A Call (1910), The Portrait (1910), The Simple Life Limited (1911), Ladies Whose Bright Eyes (1911), The Panel (1912), The New Humpty-Dumpty (1912), Mr. Fleight (1913), The Young Lovell (1913), The Good Soldier (1915), The Marsden Case (1923), Some Do Not... (1924), The Nature of a Crime (1924), No More Parades (1925), A Man Could Stand Up-- (1926), Last Post (1928), A Little Less Than Gods (1928), No Enemy (1929), When The Wicked Man (1931), The Rash Act (1933), Henry for Hugh (1934), Vive le Roy (1936). Go here for McCarthy's complete list. |