Edmund George Valpy Knox (10 May 1881 – 2 January 1971) was a poet and satirist who wrote under the pseudonym Evoe. He was editor of ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

'' 1932–1949, having been a regular contributor in verse and prose for many years.

Life

Knox was the eldest son of Edmund Arbuthnott Knox, a descendant of

John Arbuthnott, 8th Viscount of Arbuthnott John Arbuthnott, 8th Viscount of Arbuthnott DL FRSE (16 January 1778 – 10 January 1860) was a Scottish peer and soldier. Known as "the rich Lord" he built the bridge in front of Arbuthnott House, Kincardineshire. He was the first member of th ...

. He was a brother of the Roman Catholic priest and author Ronald Knox, the codebreaker Dilly Knox, the Anglican priest and New Testament scholar

Wilfred Knox Wilfred Lawrence Knox (1886–1950) was an English Anglicanism, Anglican priest and theologian, one of four brothers who distinguished themselves. After leaving University of Oxford, Oxford with a first-class honours degree in classics, Knox soon ...

, the author Winifred Peck, and Ethel Knox. His daughter, the novelist Penelope Fitzgerald, wrote a biography of the four brothers titled ''The Knox Brothers''. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

. His first marriage was in 1912 to Christina Frances Hicks, born 1885. They had children Penelope Fitzgerald (born 1916, died 2000) and Edmund Rawle Valpy Knox (journalist, died 5 June 1994). Christina died in 1935. He remarried in 1937, to

Mary Shepard Mary Eleanor Jessie Knox née Shepard (25 December 1909 – 4 September 2000) was an English illustrator of children's books. She is best known for the ''Mary Poppins'' stories written by P. L. Travers (1934 to 1988). She used her married na ...

, illustrator of ''

Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...

'' and daughter of

E.H. Shepard Ernest Howard Shepard OBE MC (10 December 1879 – 24 March 1976) was an English artist and book illustrator. He is known especially for illustrations of the anthropomorphic animal and soft toy characters in ''The Wind in the Willows'' and ''W ...

who illustrated '' Winnie the Pooh'' and ''

The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets ...

''. He served in the Lincolnshire Regiment during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and ''Punch'' reported in October 1917 that he had been wounded. As a poet, he was noted for his ability to provide topical satirical poems for ''Punch'' in the style of well-known contemporary poets such as John Drinkwater,

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels ''The Midnight Folk'' and ''The Box of Delights'', and the poem ...

Walter de la Mare Walter John de la Mare (; 25 April 1873 – 22 June 1956) was an English poet, short story writer, and novelist. He is probably best remembered for his works for children, for his poem "The Listeners", and for a highly acclaimed selection of ...

Edmund Blunden Edmund Charles Blunden (1 November 1896 – 20 January 1974) was an English poet, author, and critic. Like his friend Siegfried Sassoon, he wrote of his experiences in World War I in both verse and prose. For most of his career, Blunden was als ...

Robert Bridges Robert Seymour Bridges (23 October 1844 – 21 April 1930) was an English poet who was Poet Laureate from 1913 to 1930. A doctor by training, he achieved literary fame only late in life. His poems reflect a deep Christian faith, and he is ...

and J. C. Squire – usually managing to evoke the poet's general style and manner without resorting to parodying any particular poem. Although best known for satire, some of his more serious poems, written during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

while he held the editor's chair at ''Punch'', evoke by turns wistful nostalgia, grim determination, and a longing for eventual peace, often using metres from Greek or Latin poetry or historical English forms. Although for the greater part of his life an agnostic, he gradually drifted back into the Church of England.

Books

Collections of Evoe's writings, usually reprinted from the pages of ''Punch'', were published as follows: *The Brazen Lyre (1911) *A Little Loot (1920) *Parodies Regained (1921) *These Liberties (1923) *Fiction as She is Wrote (1923) *An Hour from Victoria (1924) *Fancy Now (1924) *Quaint Specimens (1925) *Poems of Impudence (1926) *It Occurs to Me (1926) *Awful Occasions (1927) *I'll Tell the World (1928) *Gorgeous Times (1928) *Wonderful Outings (1928) *Here's Misery! (1928) *This Other Eden (1929) *Blue Feathers (1929) *Things that Annoy Me (1932) *Folly Calling (1932) *Slight Irritations (1933) *In My Old Days (1969)

Notes

References

* Penelope Fitzgerald, ''The Knox Brothers'', New York: Coward, McCann, & Geoghegan, 1977; revised edition, Washington, DC: Counterpoint, 2000.

External links

*
Edmund George Valpy Knox
at

University of Toronto Libraries The University of Toronto Libraries system is the largest academic library in Canada and is ranked third among peer institutions in North America, behind only Harvard and Yale. The system consists of 39 libraries located on University of Toronto' ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knox, E. V. 1881 births 1971 deaths English people of Scottish descent English Anglicans English satirists People educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham English male poets 20th-century English poets Punch (magazine) people 20th-century English male writers