# Roy Kear — Cakes and Ale character guide

> Roy Kear in Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Roy, Alroy Kear, Mr. Alroy Kear, Mr. Kear

**First appearance:** 0000-i

## Snapshot

A booming, backslapping novelist who wants the narrator's help polishing the late Edward Driffield into a respectable monument.

## Who they are

Kear is everything the narrator is not: clubman, self-promoter, and tireless cultivator of useful friendships. Over veal-and-ham pie and famous club brandy he works his way toward a request—a biography of Driffield, shaped by the widow's wishes—while the narrator watches the performance with amusement and suspicion. His blend of genuine charm and calculated flattery makes him both comic and quietly menacing, since he represents the literary world's power to rewrite a man after death.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/i)

A successful novelist who is sincere, hardworking, and skilled at self-promotion, but whose work is not of the highest literary quality.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/ii)

Hosts lunch, advocates for Driffield's literary importance, and seeks the narrator's memories of Rosie Driffield.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/iii)

His conversation with the narrator earlier in the day is a catalyst for the narrator's reverie about the past.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/iv)

Not present in this chapter, but his books are seen in Driffield's study, indicating his connection to the literary world.

### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xi)

Arrives at the narrator's home, interrupting his thoughts; discusses succession to Driffield's position.

### [Chapter XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xii)

Mentioned at the start; the narrator's promise to Roy prompts the visit to Mrs. Hudson.

### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xvi)

Mentioned as Alroy Kear, who recommends books on the craft of fiction to the narrator.

### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xxii)

Shares his knowledge of Driffield's life after Rosie's departure, including Mrs. Trafford's influence.

### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xxiii)

Arrives with the narrator, is met by a car and a note for the narrator, suggesting he stay at the Marine Hotel.

### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xxiv)

Engages with American visitors, discusses writing Driffield's biography, and shows tact in social situations.

### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xxv)

Joins in criticizing Rosie, calling her 'a hefty wench' and laughing at the narrator's defense.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/characters/roy_kear
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/characters