Home    New Authors    New Books    Coming Soon    Most Popular    Top Authors    Series    Awards    
Frank Baker's picture

Frank Baker

UK  (1908 - 1983)
Search Authors

Search Books

 
New books rss feed for Frank Baker
About Frank Baker
Frank Baker was born in Hornsey, London in 1908. Frank was educated at Wincester Cathedral School, where he enjoyed singing in Cathedral choir. He seems to have inherited a love of music from his grandfather who played the organ at nearby Alexandra Palace. As a young man Frank went into his father's business of marine insurance in City of London, before leaving after five years to spend a year working at the School of Church Music. With £20 and a small piano he moved down from London to Cornwall, and settled in a cottage at St. Just-in-Penwith, earning £1 a week as an organist. There he began to write. His first novel, 'The Twisted Tree' was published in 1935.

In addition to writing Frank Baker continued to play both piano and organ, and especially enjoyed playing at the Church at St.Hilary, where he developed a close friendship with Father Bernard Walke, who is known for his biographic, 'Twenty Years At St Hilary'. Here Frank and Bernard produced the first religious plays to be peformed live on BBC Radio.

For a while Frank became a professional actor. During the Second World War Frank toured with Dame Sybil Thorndike and Lewis Casson (whom he understudied) and Paul Scofield, and they played throughout the UK. At this time he met Kathleen Llyod whom he married in 1943. They were to have three children together, Jonathan, Llewellyn and Jospehine. After they first met, they lived together in Hampstead, and for 18 months Frank worked as the pianst for the Player's Theatre with performers Leonard Sachs, Hattie Jaques and others.

After the Player's Theatre the family returned to live in Mevagissey in Cornwall, for around 5 years. Frank was to subsequently live in Surrey and then returned to Cornwall again, living in Goldsithney and then moved to Cardiff in Wales. During these years he edited scripts and wrote plays for BBC, and continued to publish fiction. In 1969-1970 he spent some time in the USA and was Artist-in-Residence at the University in Oklahoma.

Frank was drawn back to Cornwall again and again, and eventually he and Kathleen finally settled in Porthleven. Both Frank's daughter, and many of his nine grand children, were born in Cornwall, a county which inspired him throughout his life. In his last book, 'The Call of Cornwall' (1976) he described what had inspired him to always return there, in an exploration of Cornwall's spiritual history, literature and landscape.

Frank died of cancer in 1983 at the family home 'Bay Ridge' in Porthleven.
 
Non fiction
 
Anthologies containing stories by Frank Baker
At Close of EveThe Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories
 
Short stories
Art Thou Languid? (1947)
In the Steam Room (1966)
The Chocolate Box (1973)
The Green Steps (1974)
The Sack (1977)
Tyme Tryeth Troth (1979)
Coombe Morwen (1983)
Flowers I Leave You (1983)
My Lady Sweet, Arise (1983)
Quintin Claribel (1983)


Links to other websites
frankbaker.co.uk



Visitors to this page also looked at these authors
Denys Val Baker
Scott Baker
Darrell Bain
Jo Baker
Robin Baker
Keith Baker
John Kendrick Bangs
Beryl Bainbridge
Alison Baird
Dale Bailey
Richard Baker
Trisha Baker
Donald Bain
John Baker
Keith Baker



Search for    

© 2009 FantasticFiction     Bibliography by D C Wands     Last Updated:
Questions? Comments? Corrections? Please email webmaster@fantasticfiction.co.uk