Stephen James Napier Tennant (21 April 1906 – 28 February 1987) was a British socialite known for his decadent, eccentric lifestyle.[1][2] He was a central member of the socialite group referred to as "Bright Young Things" by the tabloid press of the time. Tennant was noted for his affected demeanor, appearance and behaviours.[3]
For most of his life, Tennant tried to start or finish a novel – Lascar: A Story You Must Forget.[5] It is popularly believed that he spent the last 17 years of his life in bed at the house he inherited from his parents, Wilsford House[6] at Wilsford cum Lake, Wiltshire, which he had redecorated by Syrie Maugham.
Though undoubtedly idle, he was not truly lethargic: he made several visits to the United States and Italy, and developed many new friendships. His later reputation as a recluse became increasingly true only towards the last years of his life. Yet even then, his life was not uneventful: he became landlord to V. S. Naipaul, who immortalised Tennant in his novel The Enigma of Arrival.
Personal life
During the 1920s and 1930s Tennant had a long time sexual affair with the poet Siegfried Sassoon.[7] Prior to this he had proposed to a friend, Elizabeth Lowndes, but had been rejected (Philip Hoare relates how Tennant discussed plans with Lowndes about bringing his nanny with them on their honeymoon).
His relationship with Sassoon (twenty years his senior), however, was to be his most important: it lasted some six years before Tennant off-handedly put an abrupt end to it and Sassoon was reportedly devastated.[8]
