Before its publication, Siegfried Sassoon's reputation rested entirely on his poetry, primarily written during and about World War I. Only ten years after the war ended, after some experience in journalism, did he feel ready to branch out into prose. So uncertain was he of the wisdom of this move that he anonymously published Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man. It depicts his early years as an autobiographical novel, with false names given to the central characters, including Sassoon himself, who appears as "George Sherston.". Sassoon was motivated to write the work by a war incident when a fox was loose in the trenches, and one of his friends shot and killed it. However, the book draws heavily on his pre-war life, with riding and hunting among his favorite pastimes.

Much of the material for the novel came from Sassoon's diary. He said he was inspired by the work of Marcel Proust, saying, "A few pages of Proust have made me wonder whether insignificant episodes aren't the most significant.". In particular, his relationship with "Aunt Evelyn," a fictionalized representation of his mother, Theresa, is revealed as a significant influence in his upbringing.