My books arrived! I’m very excited to read Denton’s journals and short stories, but having just finished (and wept over) Denton’s letters to Eric Oliver, I decided to step out of Denton’s world for a while and view him from a biographical point of view.
Denton’s younger self portrait (the one on the left) seems to be the go-to for illustrations in articles and online materials, probably because it’s the one that hangs in the National Gallery. Behind his Harry Potter glasses, Denton looks querulous, dissatisfied, unfriendly. His nose is pinched, his mouse is pursed. I wouldn’t be drawn to someone who seems so ready to find fault with the world. However, it’s totally understandable that Denton would look grumpy – he’s about 25 here, and still in a lot of residual pain from his injuries.
I much prefer the slightly older self portrait with the pipe (middle). He’s about 28 here, and he still looks like he’s giving us the side eye, but his mouth looks like it could be juuuust on the verge of turning upwards. He looks relaxed. And he’s lowered his hairline – perhaps he didn’t care for his high forehead. Denton painted this happier-looking self portrait the year that he met Eric Oliver. Coincidence…?
I’ve read the introductory material and the first chapter of Denton Welch – Writer and Artist by James Methuen-Campbell. The first chapter covers Denton’s childhood until the age of 14, when he’s sent to Repton school. His childhood was unconventional, to say the least – Denton travelled extensively with his mother, and didn’t learn to read until he was nine. It’s unthinkable now, but must have contributed to the imagination and adult worldview that evidently shaped his teenage experiences.
It’s odd reading about Denton in the third person now, recognising incidents that he describes or refers to in his books, but hearing about it from someone else. There’s going to be even more of that heading into the ‘Repton and China’ chapter that comes next, so I’m excited for new insights!