Nicholas Mosley has been writing lively and thought-provoking novels, biographies, and screenplays for sixty years, and he is one of England's most highly respected authors. His novel Inventing God (2003) has been praised as fascinating and astonishing. Hopeful Monsters, which won the 1990 Whitbread Prize, was said by A.N. Wilson to be the best English novel written since the Second World War, and in the New Statesman Mosley was described as one of the major writers of our era. Unfortunately, for most of his life he has been better known as the eldest son of the notorious British Fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley. Lady Cynthia Curzon, the daughter of George Curzon, was his mother, and Lady Diana Mosley (neé Mitford), was his stepmother. "Nicholas Mosley: Writing Life" explores the links between Mosley's unusual history and the themes of his highly original fiction, particularly that of the "hopeful monster," which is relevant to human evolution.    Other topics include his parents’ personal and political histories, his pivotal experiences in battle during World War II, and his becoming Lord Ravensdale. Interspersed with his responses during interviews there are readings from his works, stills from his photo album, clips from his own and Oswald Mosley’s home movies, clips from one of Nicholas's 16 mm films, "The Policeman's Mother," and clips from two of the feature films which have been made from his novels: Accident (screenplay by Harold Pinter, directed by Joseph Losey) and The Story of a Love Story (screenplay by Mosley, directed by John Frankenheimer). This documentary was designed to serve as an introduction to Mosley’s views and to his approach to writing, for a general, discerning audience, however it is unlike most biographical profiles of authors, as I believed that whenever it was possible, Mosley's story should be told through his own words, that in this way the style of the program might be fitted to the style of his writing, which is to engage the reader in the process of making connections.    The interviews were shot in very beautiful settings in Majorca and Sussex. All post-production was done in Canada and the program has met CRTC Canadian content standards. Written, produced, and funded by John Banks; main cameras and location director John Corry; narrator Miranda Pearson. It was available only in Canada, the U.S, and the U.K.. Released VHS Fall 2001, revised DVD 2003/4 ISBN 0-9731743-0-7.

The video was recommended by The Library Journal and Booklist
Viewers have written (and have given permission for this use of their remarks):

     "I have never before seen and heard such a comprehensive revelation of a writer's persona and work. It's a beautiful and inspiring work of art. " Patrick Skene Catling 2001

     "I finally got a moment last night and popped your Mosley into the player and what a delight it was - such a balance of visuals and background (the usual) but then such an additional wealth from the man, his face, the quotes... I will watch it again soon." Sven Birkerts 2001

     "Thank you so much for sending me the Nicholas Mosley video. It is terrific to watch (which I've now done three times...) " Robert Skidelsky  2002

    "Many thanks indeed for that tape of Nicholas Mosley, which I watched last night and found most fascinating..."  Colin Wilson 2002

    "A distinctive novelist is revealed in an intelligently rendered film...   recommended for literature collections in academic and larger public libraries."   Amy Contú for The Library Journal June 2002

    "This beautifully filmed presentation chronicles Mosley's works, including his 1993 autobiography, Efforts at Truth. Helpful voice-over narration guides this thought-provoking self-analysis.  Nancy McCray for Booklist February 2003

    "I recognized Mosley's idea that the artist has a horizon between his art and personal experience. Having painted the marina from my front lawn, I go out onto the patio and cannot see the same wharves. The act of painting changed my horizon.  Mosley is definitely an artist no general audience would appreciate. His story of going into battle hoping to be captured is anti-mythic irony. He had a prison camp fantasy and dreamed of continuing his writing there; meanwhile he fought well.  An emphasis on Mosley's courage and his war decorations would reveal the prison dream to be humorous self-deprecation.  Glenn Howarth  2003

    "John Banks has produced a tremendously valuable documentary that reaches beyond its immediate subject. It draws the viewer into the facts and forces of history, modern literary development, and human psychology, as no other film I've seen has done. Through his frank yet respectful analysis of Nicholas Mosley's life and work, Banks shows why Mosley should be read more than he is."   Elizabeth Sims  2004

At the end of 2006, new copies of the video, in its current form, could no longer be sold.     This was due to the expiration of my contract with Studiocanal for the use of the clips from the feature films Accident and Story of a Love Story (de l’objet impossible), to which that company holds exclusive rights. The film clips were essential: they are a pleasure to watch, they effectively dramatize the style of Mosley's writings, and - what was perhaps their most important role - they suggested the shape of aspects of his life which were not explicitly described.      I will at some time post an outline of the business negotiations and transactions which have been associated with this video. Much of it will not make pleasant reading, however the unglamorous aspects of the industry ought also to be seen, and it might be helpful to any truly independent film or video maker who is required to negotiate with rights holders and broadcasters. By "truly independent" I mean those few whose work is not funded by the taxpayer, by grants, or by employers.     Warning:  Many resellers are offering "Nicholas Mosley: Writing Life" for sale, however there is no source of new copies of this video other than myself and this website. I have no distributor arrangement with any reseller, and I have never supplied a video to any of the companies which are advertising it for sale. There was only once an order from a reseller, for academic use. There are used copies of the video in circulation, including demonstration copies which are not licensed for distribution or sale.

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