Constellation Similarity Assertions

Christopher Hugh Sykes was born at Sledmere near Malton, England, on Nov. 17, 1907, the second son of Mark and Edith Violet (Gorst) Sykes. His father, Sir Mark Sykes, was elected a conservative member of Parliament in 1912 and later served as an adviser to Lloyd George on Middle Eastern affairs. The father's Orientalist interests helped nurture the lifelong interest of the son in the Middle East. Christopher Sykes was educated at Downside School, the Sorbonne, and Christ Church, Oxford. During 1928-1929 Sykes was an honorary attaché at the British Embassy in Berlin, Germany, followed by a posting to the legation at Tehran, Iran, in 1930-31. He embarked in 1933 on a two years' journey through Persia (Iran) and Afghanistan with his friend Robert Byron, who recorded their experiences in the now classic travel memoir, 'The road to Oxiana'. On Oct. 26, 1936 he married Camilla Georgiane Russell, with whom he had a son, Mark Richard. His service in the British Army during World War II included assignment to Middle East Headquarters in Cairo during 1940-41. From 1941 until 1943 Sykes' military career was interrupted by his appointment as second secretary to the British Embassy in Tehran. During 1946 he reported on the Persian Azerbaijan Campaign for the 'Daily mail' of London. In 1948 he joined the British Broadcasting Corporation as deputy controller of the Third Programme and for the next twenty years worked in the Features and Talks departments of the BBC. Sykes's most memorable career, however, is not as diplomat or broadcast journalist but as biographer. His first venture into biography was 'Wassmuss, the German Lawrence' (1936). This was followed by 'Four studies in loyalty' (1946), 'Two studies in virtue' (1953), 'Orde Wingate' (1959), 'Troubled loyalty', a biography of Adam von Trott (1968), 'Nancy: the life of Lady Astor' (1972), and, most notably, 'Evelyn Waugh' (1975). He was also the author of several works of fiction, including 'Answer to question 33' (1948), 'A song of a shirt' (1953), and 'Dates and parties' (1955). Christopher Sykes died at Sledmere, his childhood home, on Dec. 8, 1986

From the description of The Christopher Sykes papers, 1945-1981. (Georgetown University). WorldCat record id: 243856664

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