Simon Arthur Noël Raven (28 December 1927 – 12 May 2001) was an English author, playwright, essayist, television writer, and screenwriter. He is known for his louche lifestyle as much as for his literary output. Expelled from Charterhouse School, he was commissioned in the infantry in National service, before studying at King's College, Cambridge. Unable to earn a living as a writer, he rejoined the Army, but soon resigned, rather than be court-martialled for 'conduct unbecoming' on account of his gambling debts. Declaring that he wrote only for people who shared his own standards, he never attracted the mass market, and had to be rescued by publisher Anthony Blond, who paid him a regular wage on condition that he stayed out of London and concentrated on his writings, many of which Blond published. The arrangement lasted for over 30 years. Raven is remembered for his ten-novel sequence Alms for Oblivion and its baroque, supernatural sequels The Roses of Picardie and September Castle; as well as The Feathers of Death, an exploratory early army novel dealing with homosexuality between officers and "other ranks". He also wrote scripts for the television drama series The Pallisers (1974) and Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978)). Biography Birth, family and education Born on 28 December 1927 in London, he was the eldest of three children. His father, Arthur Raven, had inherited a fortune from the family's hosiery business, and lived a life of leisure. His mother Esther, née Christmas, a baker's daughter, was a distance and cross-country athlete who represented England against France in March 1932. He was educated first at Cordwalles preparatory school near Camberley, Surrey, then as a scholarship pupil at Charterhouse, whence he was expelled in 1945 for homosexual activities. Amongst his school contemporaries were James Prior, William Rees-Mogg, Oliver Popplewell and Peter May. After completing national service he entered King's College, Cambridge, in 1948, to read Classics. Although he possessed a first-class intelligence, this was not matched by his application, and his university career was punctuated by regular crises over money, misbehaviour and an apparent inability – or, more likely, unwillingness – to connect actions with their consequences. His intelligence garnered him only an upper second, a degree which would not normally have gained him a studentship to read for a doctorate. That it did so may be attributed, essentially, to his personal charm, which gained him credit with the Fellows responsible