Biograpahy explores canvas of Francis Bacon’s hedonistic life
IN JUNE 1963, in the French House pub in Soho, Michael Peppiatt, student editor of the Cambridge Opinion, approached the artist Francis Bacon seeking an interview.
In venturing into this famously bohemian haunt, Peppiatt was in luck; Bacon, who could be dismissive of strangers, was in a generous mood. In spite of the age difference — Bacon was by then in his 50s — the two got on well and thereafter Peppiatt began to accompany the artist on his social rounds, meeting remarkable individuals drawn from all sections of society. Over the years, Peppiatt grew to know his subject well and in spite of their often louche surroundings and confused comings and goings, he took care to keep a diary and, insofar as was possible, make a written verbatim record of their conversations.
