Background
Fane was the younger son of Vere Fane, 14th Earl of Westmorland and his wife Diana, daughter of Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale and widow of Arthur Capel. His childhood was spent at Lyegrove, Gloucestershire, where his mother created a celebrated garden.
Education
He was educated at Harrow. John Betjeman wrote in The Daily Telegraph that Morning "seems to me to deserve to last for generations" and he chose it as one of his Books of the Year.
Career
After some attempts at writing plays, at the age of 29 Fane published his first novel, Morning(1956), a description of a small boy’s childhood prior to being sent to boarding school. lieutenant was a literary success. In The Observer Harold Nicolson also described it as "the work of a literary artist, beautifully written".
This reception encouraged Fane to devote his life to writing, a career that he took seriously, generally writing for five hours a day, every day, and avoiding social engagements he felt would distract from his work.
In his long career he produced some forty works, though popular success eluded him. He reviewed for The Times Literary Supplement and in 1969 set up Street George"s Press with two partners, publishing 45 titles before it was wound up in 1991.
In 1974 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. In 1999 he declared that his latest novel, called Evening to balance Morning, would be his last.
Foreign the next two years he kept a journal, eventually published as The Time Diaries, but missing writing stories he gave up retirement and embarked on a new burst of creativity, publishing a novel every six months.
Gillian was for some years a director of Glyndebourne Opera House. They were generous patrons to Glyndebourne and other good causes. Fane died on 13 December 2009, aged 82.