Edward Upward.
HIGHLY-acclaimed author Edward Falaise Upward has died, aged 105.
Mr Upward, who lived latterly in a care home in Pontefract, Yorkshire, was born in Romford, Essex, on September 9, 1903.
He was educated at Repton and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, before becoming a teacher for 29 years at Alleyn’s School, London, where he became head of English and a housemaster.
He was a legendary figure among the Auden generation of young writers in the 1930s, when he wrote the book for which he is best known, The Railway Accident, which was later published as a classic by Penguin.
His work also included manuscripts of his imaginary village, Mortmere, written in the mid-1920s with Christopher Isherwood, later published by Enitharmon Press.
He also wrote The Island, a story about the Isle of Wight in all of its natural beauty.
Mr Upward retired to Hill Street, Sandown, with his late wife, Hilda, in which time he had a trilogy of books published, including A Renegade in Springtime, in 2003.
He came from an Island family dating back more than 300 years and his home in Hill Street was lived in by his grandfather in 1872.
His career in writing spanned more than 80 years and his work has been acclaimed by distinguished critics, such as Malcolm Muggeridge and Hugh Walpole.
In 2005, Mr Upward was awarded the Benson Medal of the Royal Society of Literature and made a Fellow of the Society, to honour his achievements as a writer.
He leaves his daughter, Kathy, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.