Hartley, L. P. (1895-1972), was an English novelist and short-story writer known for his subtle observations of social manners and for his skill at portraying children. His best-known novel is probably The Go-Between (1953), about a 12-year-old boy who accidentally is the cause of a tragedy. Hartley wrote a trilogy of novels about Eustace and Hilda, a brother and sister. The trilogy consists of The Shrimp and the Anemone (1944), The Sixth Heaven (1946), and Eustace and Hilda (1947), which won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, one of the United Kingdom’s oldest and most prestigious literary awards. Hartley’s other novels include The Boat (1949) and My Sisters’ Keeper (1970). His first book, Night Fears (1924), was a collection of short stories. A collection of essays was published as The Novelist’s Responsibility (1967). The Collected Stories of L. P. Hartley was published in 1968.
Leslie Poles Hartley was born on Dec. 30, 1895, near Peterborough, in Cambridgeshire. He was educated at Harrow School and at Oxford University. He died on Dec. 13, 1972.
