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Ruling Passions
276 pages QUARTET BOOKS; New Ed edition (January 1, 1978) English 070433223X 978-0704332232 Product 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches Shipping 10.6 ounces Average Customer Be the first to review this item Amazon Best Sellers #4,439,078 in Books
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First published January 1, 1977
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About the author
Tom Driberg
18 books1 followerAt the age of eight he began as a day-boy at the Grange school in Crowborough. He subsequently won a classics scholarship to Christ Church, Oxford.
One of his poems,, in the style of Edith Sitwell, was published in 'Oxford Poetry 1926' and when Sitwell visited Oxford to deliver a lecture, he invited her to have tea with him, and she accepted. After her lecture he found an opportunity to recite one of his own poems, and was rewarded when Sitwell declared him 'the hope of English poetry'. He regarded Sitwell as his mentor.
Later his social contacts led to him getting a permanent contract with the Daily Express, as assistant to Percy Sewell who, under the name "The Dragoman", wrote a daily feature called 'The Talk of London'. On Sewell's retirement in 1932, he took over the column that was renamed as 'These Names Make News', and its by-line changed to "William Hickey", after the 18th century diarist and rake.
In the latter part of the 1930s he travelled widely, twice to Spain, to observe the Spanish Civil War, to Germany after the Munich Agreement of 1938, to Rome for the coronation of Pope Pius XII and to New York for the 1939 New York World's Fair.
After his mother died in July 1939, with his share of her money and the help of a substantial mortgage, he bought and renovated Bradwell Lodge, a country house in Bradwell-on-Sea on the Essex coast,. He lived and entertained there until the house was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force in 1940.
In November 1941 he went to America and was in Washington on Monday 8 December, after the attack on Pearl Harbour. And he reported President Roosevelt's speech to Congress announcing America's entry into the war.
A strong Winston Churchill supporter, he became a Member of Parliament in 1942 and he remained in the House until May 1955. He was to return to the House as member for Barking from 1959 to 1974.
Recognised as being openly homosexual, on 16 February 1951 he surprised his friends by announcing his engagement to Ena Mary Binfield (née Lyttelton). The pair were married on 30 June 1951.
In November 1975 he was granted a life peerage and on 21 January 1976 he was entered the House of Lords as Baron Bradwell, of Bradwell juxta Mare in the County of Essex.
He died on 12 August 1976 (aged 71) in Paddington, London,
One of his poems,, in the style of Edith Sitwell, was published in 'Oxford Poetry 1926' and when Sitwell visited Oxford to deliver a lecture, he invited her to have tea with him, and she accepted. After her lecture he found an opportunity to recite one of his own poems, and was rewarded when Sitwell declared him 'the hope of English poetry'. He regarded Sitwell as his mentor.
Later his social contacts led to him getting a permanent contract with the Daily Express, as assistant to Percy Sewell who, under the name "The Dragoman", wrote a daily feature called 'The Talk of London'. On Sewell's retirement in 1932, he took over the column that was renamed as 'These Names Make News', and its by-line changed to "William Hickey", after the 18th century diarist and rake.
In the latter part of the 1930s he travelled widely, twice to Spain, to observe the Spanish Civil War, to Germany after the Munich Agreement of 1938, to Rome for the coronation of Pope Pius XII and to New York for the 1939 New York World's Fair.
After his mother died in July 1939, with his share of her money and the help of a substantial mortgage, he bought and renovated Bradwell Lodge, a country house in Bradwell-on-Sea on the Essex coast,. He lived and entertained there until the house was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force in 1940.
In November 1941 he went to America and was in Washington on Monday 8 December, after the attack on Pearl Harbour. And he reported President Roosevelt's speech to Congress announcing America's entry into the war.
A strong Winston Churchill supporter, he became a Member of Parliament in 1942 and he remained in the House until May 1955. He was to return to the House as member for Barking from 1959 to 1974.
Recognised as being openly homosexual, on 16 February 1951 he surprised his friends by announcing his engagement to Ena Mary Binfield (née Lyttelton). The pair were married on 30 June 1951.
In November 1975 he was granted a life peerage and on 21 January 1976 he was entered the House of Lords as Baron Bradwell, of Bradwell juxta Mare in the County of Essex.
He died on 12 August 1976 (aged 71) in Paddington, London,
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 6, 2023
Fascinating . Yes it’s a murky , candid and slightly seedy (in places ) book and would have been viewed as salacious in its time (more so than today) , but I couldn’t put it down for some reason .
I knew very little about Driberg but he featured heavily in a book called ‘Stalin’s Englishman’ which covered the life of the spy Guy Burgess. Driberg came over as quite a shadowy , background figure, a possible double agent and arch manipulator. After finishing that book , his name cropped up again , first in a documentary I watched about the Labour Party, and then later, in a podcast series I was following. I decided to find out more about him and when I discovered he had written a partial memoir I decided to take a look.
It’s a shame he didn’t complete the full memoir as it comes to an abrupt stop , presumably because of his illness and subsequent death. The writing is good , it’s engaging and at times both gossipy and matter of fact. He made no attempt to hide his homosexuality during his lifetime and his account of his life as a gay man , at a time when homosexuality was illegal , is riveting and at times had me on the edge of my seat.
A number of allegations about Driberg have been made in recent years - none of which have been completely substantiated, but they may of course have some truth to them . I think on reflection that shouldn’t surprise us too much as the memoir makes it clear , he was adept at concealing elements of his life whilst simultaneously living other parts out in the open . I think he remains a mysterious and enigmatic character despite the public memoir , but it’s a worthwhile read and fills in some of the blanks about who he was.
I knew very little about Driberg but he featured heavily in a book called ‘Stalin’s Englishman’ which covered the life of the spy Guy Burgess. Driberg came over as quite a shadowy , background figure, a possible double agent and arch manipulator. After finishing that book , his name cropped up again , first in a documentary I watched about the Labour Party, and then later, in a podcast series I was following. I decided to find out more about him and when I discovered he had written a partial memoir I decided to take a look.
It’s a shame he didn’t complete the full memoir as it comes to an abrupt stop , presumably because of his illness and subsequent death. The writing is good , it’s engaging and at times both gossipy and matter of fact. He made no attempt to hide his homosexuality during his lifetime and his account of his life as a gay man , at a time when homosexuality was illegal , is riveting and at times had me on the edge of my seat.
A number of allegations about Driberg have been made in recent years - none of which have been completely substantiated, but they may of course have some truth to them . I think on reflection that shouldn’t surprise us too much as the memoir makes it clear , he was adept at concealing elements of his life whilst simultaneously living other parts out in the open . I think he remains a mysterious and enigmatic character despite the public memoir , but it’s a worthwhile read and fills in some of the blanks about who he was.
March 12, 2025
Tom Driberg's memoir, "Ruling Passions," is a candid and provocative work published posthumously. Given its frank content, it's hardly surprising that Driberg chose not to release it during his lifetime. The book delves into the three primary passions that defined his life: his homosexuality, his left-wing political beliefs, and his allegiance to Anglo-Catholicism. However, what might surprise readers is how little the memoir focuses on his political career, which was a significant part of his public life.
Driberg's political career spanned decades, with him serving as a Member of Parliament from 1942 to 1974, except for a brief period from 1955 to 1959. He was also Chairman of the Labour Party from 1957 to 1958. Yet, despite these achievements, the memoir barely scratches the surface of his political experiences. Instead, it offers a deeply personal exploration of his inner conflicts and desires.
Driberg's political career spanned decades, with him serving as a Member of Parliament from 1942 to 1974, except for a brief period from 1955 to 1959. He was also Chairman of the Labour Party from 1957 to 1958. Yet, despite these achievements, the memoir barely scratches the surface of his political experiences. Instead, it offers a deeply personal exploration of his inner conflicts and desires.
October 9, 2023
Driberg obviously thought it was important to out himself posthumously -- but the parts about sex are a fairly small fraction of the book, even if a couple of incidents are described in startlingly explicit language. In 2022 it's hard to imagine the memoir causing the storm it did, those two stories aside.
He assumed, correctly, that he didn't have a lot of time left to finish the book, but the text never seems thrown-together. It does end abruptly, in 1956, and uses a lot of material from his Daily Express and Reynolds News pieces, which was a letdown as I'd already read many of them in "Colonnade." Still, Driberg writes very well and, at least in his own telling, comes off as a more serious person than he does in Francis Wheen's biography, "The Soul of Indiscretion."
He assumed, correctly, that he didn't have a lot of time left to finish the book, but the text never seems thrown-together. It does end abruptly, in 1956, and uses a lot of material from his Daily Express and Reynolds News pieces, which was a letdown as I'd already read many of them in "Colonnade." Still, Driberg writes very well and, at least in his own telling, comes off as a more serious person than he does in Francis Wheen's biography, "The Soul of Indiscretion."
July 15, 2009
An attempt at a justification of his life by Driberg. Not a successful justification imo but I will admit to a personal bias....
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews