Edward Augustine Storer (1880–1944) was an English writer, translator, and poet.

Life and career

Edward A. Storer was born in Alnwick on 25 July 1880 to Frances Anne Egan and James John Robson Storer, he died in Weybridge (London) on 11 February 1944. In 1907 he was on the Roll of the

Law Society of England and Wales The Law Society of England and Wales (officially The Law Society) is the professional association that represents solicitors for the jurisdiction of England and Wales. It provides services and support to practising and training solicitors, as ...

(London) qualified as a solicitor. However, he practised only for two years because he soon realized that poetry was his main interest. He was one of the first promoters and theorists of

Imagism Imagism was a movement in early-20th-century Anglo-American poetry that favored precision of imagery and clear, sharp language. It is considered to be the first organized modernist literary movement in the English language. Imagism is someti ...

along with

T. E. Hulme Thomas Ernest Hulme (; 16 September 1883 – 28 September 1917) was an English critic and poet who, through his writings on art, literature and politics, had a notable influence upon modernism. He was an aesthetic philosopher and the 'father ...

and

F. S. Flint Frank Stuart Flint (19 December 1885 – 28 February 1960) was an English poet and translator who was a prominent member of the Imagist group. Ford Madox Ford called him "one of the greatest men and one of the beautiful spirits of the country". L ...

, but his contrasting relation with

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Fascism, fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works ...

contributed to make him soon forgotten. His poetry was based on the value of the image to which language had to be adapted in conciseness and vividness through the use of simple and universally comprehensible symbols. Although he was eager to renew

English poetry This article focuses on poetry from the United Kingdom written in the English language. The article does not cover poetry from other countries where the English language is spoken, including Republican Ireland after December 1922. The earliest ...

in technique and subjects, he did not deny the value of tradition and

classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...

modern Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

and Romantic sensitiveness were both present in his work. His conception of poetry was expressed in a specific Essay published in Mirrors of Illusion: poetry is essentially "a nostalgia for the infinité". Like H.D. and

Richard Aldington Richard Aldington (8 July 1892 – 27 July 1962), born Edward Godfree Aldington, was an English writer and poet, and an early associate of the Imagist movement. He was married to the poet Hilda Doolittle (H. D.) from 1911 to 1938. His 50-year w ...

, he looked at the

ancient Greek poetry Ancient Greek literature is literature written in the Ancient Greek language from the earliest texts until the time of the Byzantine Empire. The earliest surviving works of ancient Greek literature, dating back to the early Archaic period, ar ...

and

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

with admiration and always maintained a classical character along with modernity in his poetry: epigrammatic poetry was a perfect synthesis of the two features. In this period he translated many Greek poems. When he was in London he collaborated as a reviewer, critic and poet to many reviews and magazines: "

The New Age ''The New Age'' was a British weekly magazine (1894–1938), inspired by Fabian socialism, and credited as a major influence on literature and the arts during its heyday from 1907 to 1922, when it was edited by Alfred Richard Orage. It published ...

", "The British Review", "Poetry and Drama", "

The Egoist ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

", "

The English Review ''The English Review'' was an English-language literary magazine published in London from 1908 to 1937. At its peak, the journal published some of the leading writers of its day. History The magazine was started by 1908 by Ford Madox Hueffer (la ...

", "Broom" and others. In 1908 Storer published ''Inclinations:Poems 1909'' its content, described by F. S. Flint as in the 'Imagist' manner.Flint, F S , ''The History of Imagism'' The Egoist , May 1915 Later in the Spring of 1909, Storer was a founder member of a group, (an unnamed

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

dining and talking society)Hughes, Glenn, ''Imagism & the Imagists'' , Stanford University Press, , 1931 from which the

Imagist Imagism was a movement in early-20th-century Anglo-American poetry that favored precision of imagery and clear, sharp language. It is considered to be the first organized literary modernism, modernist literary movement in the English language. ...

genre was derived. According to Flint, "Storer leading it chiefly, of what we called the Image. We were very much influenced by modern French

symbolist Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

poetry". In that same year, 1909, Storer wrote an essay on Imagism, appended to his book ''Mirrors of Illusion'', in which he said "there is no absolute virtue in

iambic pentameter Iambic pentameter () is a type of metric line used in traditional English poetry and verse drama. The term describes the rhythm, or meter, established by the words in that line; rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables called " feet". "Iam ...

as such...however well they may be done. There is no immediate virtue in

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

even. These things are merely a means to an end". F. S. Flint, in a review of ''Mirrors of Illusion'' in ''New Age Review IV'' (

A. R. Orage Alfred Richard Orage (22 January 1873 – 6 November 1934) was a British influential figure in socialist politics and modernist culture, now best known for editing the magazine ''The New Age'' before the First World War. While he was working as a ...

's magazine of that

Edwardian era The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

) said "with Storer the soul of poetry is ... verse cut up and phrased according to the flow of the emotion and exercise of the sixth sense ... we have a poet who has fought his way out of convention, and formed for himself a poetique". Later, from 1914 onward, Storer was one of the principal contributors to The Egoist (An Individualist Review) with short articles on modern poetry, painting, sculpture, translations etc. (which at the time) was considered as propaganda for imagism or at least advertising for the imagists. In 1916 he wrote a noteworthy article on the

Free verse Free verse is an open form of poetry, which in its modern form arose through the French ''vers libre'' form. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any musical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech. Definit ...

form noting "every man's free verse is different".''Form in Free Verse'' ,New Republic March 1916 In 1916 Storer moved to Italy and from 1917 to 1941 lived in Rome. Here he founded and edited "Atys" – "Foglio d'Arte e di Letteratura Internazionale/Occasional Broadsheet of Art and Literature" from 1918 to 1921. During this period he was in close contact with Italian painters and poets who belonged to the second

Futurism Futurism ( it, Futurismo, link=no) was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such ...

: he created a particular movement not well defined and not officially recognized, but with specific features. It included some

Dadaist Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Paris ...

aspects and its main goal was substantially to enhance the value of spiritualism in a laic way. In particular, Storer was in touch with Francesco Meriano and Enrico Prampolini, who illustrated "Atys". During his staying in Italy he translated

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power ...

's plays (Six Characters in Search of an Author and Henry IV, translations based on the first editions of Pirandello's plays) and also devoted to the Italian dramatist some critical essays. (He personally met him). He translated other Italian writers and poets, thus performing a true role of cultural mediator. In Storer's renewal programme, translation was important and necessary to diffuse new authors as models for English writers. He studied English contemporary theatre: he was very interested and began writing dramas himself. From 1929 he became primarily a journalist: poetry was only a beautiful and pleasant memory. He tried to publish again in 1938 a modernistic poetry collection, Masquerades: designs for fancy dress, but the project was never realized. He was only successful in having The Young Bride and Rose of Persia included in Fifty years of modern verse. An anthology, edited by

John Gawsworth Terence Ian Fytton Armstrong (29 June 1912 – 23 September 1970), better known as John Gawsworth (and also sometimes known as T. I. F. Armstrong), was a British writer, poet and compiler of anthologies, both of poetry and of short stories. He ...

, London, Martin & Secker, 1938. He worked for news agencies ( Reuter's, American United Press, British United Press and Exchange Tele. & Co.,

International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.

) and as an Italian correspondent for "

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

", "

Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...

" and other newspapers. When he returned to London after the outbreak of 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 ...

, he collaborated with the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Life and career

Poetry

Criticism and biography

Translations from Greek

Pirandello's translations

Critical essays on Pirandello's work

Other Italian Translations

Storer's dramas

References

External links