Utterly Immoral, Robert Keable and his scandalous novel, is the first full biography of Robert Keable, famous in the 1920s and author of Simon Called Peter . Simon Keable-Elliott, Robert Keable’s grandson, has extensively researched Keable’s life building on previously unpublished research by James Douglas, Tim Couzens and Hugh Cecil to produce an authoritative book which explores both the writing of and reaction to the scandalous novel Simon Called Peter and the extraordinary career of a priest, missionary, novelist and 1920’s international celebrity. This site includes information on Utterly Immoral, a blog offering more in-depth research into the life and times of Robert Keable not covered in the book, and details of the talks that Simon is giving on his book, the life of Robert Keable and other related topics.
Speaker and writer
Educated at Sherborne School and Durham University, Simon first worked in Fleet Street – as a barman – before managing restaurants in Mayfair, Hampstead and Putney. He owned and ran Keables, a café bar restaurant in West Norwood, for 8 years before re-training as a teacher and spending 25 years as Head of Politics and Director of MUN at a secondary school in Croydon. He has written articles for The Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, The Church Times, The History News Network, Genealogy Today, The Beresford Family Society Magazine,and The Magdalene College Magazine. He is an accredited lecturer for the Arts Society and also a regular speaker at events run by Western Front Associations, U3As and Family History Societies.
Simon is Robert Keable’s grandson and Utterly Immoral is his first book.
Simon Keable-Elliott will be touring New Zealand October 2025
1 Utterly Immoral, Robert Keable and his scandalous novel
2 Tales of 20s Tahiti
1. Robert Keable, utterly immoral WW1 chaplain?
2. Treated like POWs. The story of the South African Native Labour Corps.
3. Did we ever say thank you? Foreign labourers serving in France in the British Labour Corps during WW1