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A 1930s child

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My three parents
Brian Sewell Writer
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I had three parents. Only two of whom I know, or knew. One was my mother, whom I knew for the rest of her life. And it’s extraordinary how parents turn from… parents... or mothers... mother turns from mother into big sister and great friend, stays great friend for a long time, and then slowly but inexorably, becomes a child. So you reverse the roles.

My father died before I was born, but left, I think, an inheritance of guilt and penury.

And my stepfather was a very decent man and I treated him very badly, because he came too late. He became my stepfather just before I was 11... ten and a half, or thereabouts. And by then I was old enough to resent him deeply. Which is a destructive emotion for a boy soon entering puberty. 

Born in England, Brian Sewell (1931-2015) was considered to be one of Britain’s most prominent and outspoken art critics. He was educated at the Courtauld Institute of Art and subsequently became an art critic for the London Evening Standard; he received numerous awards for his work in journalism. Sewell also presented several television documentaries, including an arts travelogue called The Naked Pilgrim in 2003. He talked candidly about the prejudice he endured because of his sexuality.

Listeners: Christopher Sykes

Christopher Sykes is an independent documentary producer who has made a number of films about science and scientists for BBC TV, Channel Four, and PBS.

Tags: Philip Heseltine, Peter Warlock, Mary Jessica Perkins, Robert Sewell

Duration: 1 minute, 39 seconds

Date story recorded: 2008

Date story went live: 28 June 2012