Simon Raven, Date of Birth, Date of Death

Simon Raven

British writer

Date of Birth: 28-Dec-1927

Date of Death: 12-May-2001

Profession: screenwriter, novelist

Nationality: United Kingdom

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

Simon Arthur Noël Raven (28 December 1927 – 12 May 2001) was an English writer, prolific in many media, but known for his louche lifestyle as much as for his literary output. Expelled from Charterhouse School, he was commissioned in the infantry in National service, before studying at King's College, Cambridge.
Unable to earn a living as a writer, he rejoined the Army, but soon resigned, rather than be court-martialled for ‘conduct unbecoming’ on account of his gambling debts. Declaring that he wrote only for people who shared his own standards, he never attracted the mass market, and had to be rescued by publisher Anthony Blond, who paid him a regular wage on condition that he stayed out of London and concentrated on his writings, many of which Blond published.
The arrangement lasted for over 30 years. Raven is remembered for his ten-novel sequence Alms for Oblivion, and the TV series The Pallisers (1974) and Edward & Mrs.
Simpson (1978).