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The list of those who turned down honours is a roll of honour in its own right.

Pride of place goes to the painter L.S Lowry. The Palace courted him assiduously, offering different bangles on five separate occasions- and he turned them down every time. 

Other artists who said "No"- only not so often- include Ben Nicholson, John Piper, Henry Moore, Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud.

Then there are the writers: Aldous Huxley, C.S. Lewis, Philip Larkin, Roald Dahl, Graham Greene, Robert Graves, Eleanor Farjeon.  At their head stands J.B. Priestley, the only person on the list to turn down a peerage. 

Actors love sparkly things, but here are four who resisted: Trevor Howard, Andrew Cruikshank, Paul Scofield and (the most surprising name on the list) Robert Morley.

Date: 2012-01-28 01:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com
Evelyn Waugh had a similar attitude.

I was reading about Dahl the other day. He was- apparently- a most obnoxious person.

Date: 2012-01-29 12:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] michaleen.livejournal.com
I would not be surprised to learn that Dahl was obnoxious. Wonka probably didn't fall too far from the tree.

Date: 2012-01-29 05:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com
There's a real nastiness about Dahl's books- a vindictive misanthropy and misogyny. It's what gives them their relish.

Children love them because, as J.M. Barrie noted, children are heartless.

Date: 2012-01-30 01:28 pm (UTC)

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