David Sedaris introduced me to Denton Welch on 10 May 2020. Asked in a Guardian interview which book he was ashamed not to have read, David replied “anything by Denton Welch”.
In my normal busy life, I’d clock the name with interest, then forget it within the hour. Being in lockdown and furloughed from work, however, I got straight onto Wikipedia and settled down with a cup of tea to find out which author my favourite essayist wanted to read.
Ten minutes later, I opened “Maiden Voyage” on my Kindle. A week later, I added “In Youth is Pleasure” and “A Voice Through a Cloud”. A week later, by now thoroughly obsessed, I added Denton’s letters to Eric Oliver to my Kindle and ordered three REAL books! I browsed furtively for expensive first editions (maybe even a SIGNED copy!), all the while knowing that I am the sort of passionate admirer that Denton found tiresome and embarrassing…
Readers, I’m female, and Denton could be quite the misogynist. And I would want to ask him question after question. Above all, I would want to muse on whether Denton would have achieved the same immortal reverence afforded to peers such as Evelyn Waugh, E.M. Forster and Noel Coward if he hadn’t been injured so badly at the age 20. If his remaining 13 years hadn’t been full of suffering and self-doubt. If he’d lived a long, full and happy life, continuing to record his daily experiences in such vivid and evocative detail that his devoted readership came to rival that of JK Rowling.
We’ll never know, of course, so there’s no point spending too much time wondering. But those of us who love Denton Welch’s work know that we’re members of a select group. Our lives have been enriched by an under-rated genius.
If you’ve found this blog, you’re probably as interested in Denton as I am. Maybe there’s something about his work that you’re bursting to discuss; maybe you’ve found a rare Denton resource to share; maybe you’re a proud Denton Welch family member. I’ll be charting my daily picnics with Denton (that man loved a picnic!), building to a comprehensive resource for those who love his work.