Francis Berry (23 March 1915 – 10 October 2006) was a British academic, poet, critic and translator.
He was born in
Ipoh,
Malaya, and educated at the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
and the
University of Exeter
, mottoeng = "We Follow the Light"
, established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter)
, type = Public
, ...
. After serving as an army soldier during
World War II
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 opposing ...
, and then as a schoolteacher in
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, he held various appointments in English literature.
He was professor of English Literature at the
University of Sheffield
, mottoeng = To discover the causes of things
, established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions:
– Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield
, type = Pu ...
from 1947 to 1970, where he was a friend of
William Empson
Sir William Empson (27 September 1906 – 15 April 1984) was an English literary critic and poet, widely influential for his practice of closely reading literary works, a practice fundamental to New Criticism. His best-known work is his first ...
. From 1970 until his retirement in 1980, he was professor at
Royal Holloway, University of London. He also wrote radio plays, and an edited translation of the Sauđarkrokur manuscripts entitled ''I Tell of Greenland'' (1977).
His first collection of poetry, ''Gospel of Fire'', was published in 1933; his ''Collected Poems'', drawing on 11 books, appeared in 1994. His work has been praised by
G. Wilson Knight
George Richard Wilson Knight (1897–1985) was an English literary critic and academic, known particularly for his interpretation of mythic content in literature, and ''The Wheel of Fire'', a collection of essays on Shakespeare's plays. He was a ...
[Obituary](_blank)
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', 31 October 2006 and
Philip Hobsbaum
Philip Dennis Hobsbaum (29 June 1932 – 28 June 2005) was a British teacher, poet and critic.
Life
Hobsbaum was born into a Polish Jewish family in London, and brought up in Bradford, Yorkshire, where he attended Belle Vue Boys' Grammar Sc ...
.
His critical writing includes books on
John Masefield
John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels ''The Midnight Folk'' and ...
and
Herbert Read. A number of his papers are archived at the Harry Ransom Center in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, USA and at Leeds University Library. His son is The Telegraph Cricket correspondent
Scyld Berry
Anthony Scyld Ivens Berry, known as Scyld Berry (pronounced "Shild", born 28 April 1954) is an English journalist and cricket correspondent of the ''Daily Telegraph''. He was editor of ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' from 2008 until 2011.
He was ...
.
Publications
Poetry
*''Gospel of Fire.'' Francis Berry, London, E. Mathews & Marrot, 1933.
*''Snake in the Moon. Poems,'' London, Williams & Norgate, 1936.
*''The Iron Christ.'' ''A poem'', London, Williams & Norgate, 1936.
*''Fall of a Tower and Other Poems,'' London, Fortune Press, 1942.
*''Murdock and Other Poems,'' London, Dakers, 1947.
*''The Galloping Centaur: Poems 1933–1951,'' London, Methuen, 1952.
*''Morant Bay and other poems'', London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1961.
*''Ghosts of Greenland,'' London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1967.
*''I tell of Greenland: an edited translation of the Saudarkrokur manuscripts.'' Francis Berry, London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1977.
*''From the Red Fort,'' Bristol, Redcliffe, 1984.
*''Collected poems / Francis Berry'', Bristol, Redcliffe, 1994.
Radio Plays
* ''Illnesses and Ghosts at the West Settlement,'' 1965;
* ''The Sirens,'' 1966;
* ''The Near Singing Dome,'' 1971;
* ''Eyre Remembers,'' 1982
Novels
* ''I Tell of Greenland''. London, Routledge, 1977.
Critical Writings
* ''Herbert Read,'' London, Longman, 1953; revised edition, 1961.
* ''Poets' Grammar: Person, Time and Mood in Poetry,'' London, Routledge, 1958; Westport, Connecticut, Greenwood Press, 1974.
* ''Poetry and the Physical Voice,'' London, Routledge, and New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
* ''The Shakespeare Inset: Word and Picture,'' London, Routledge, 1965; New York, Theatre Arts, 1966; revised edition, Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Press, 1971.
Notes
External links
Francis Berry Collectionat the
Harry Ransom Center
The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the pur ...
at the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...
* Archival Material at
Academics of the University of Sheffield
Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London
People educated at Dean Close School
1915 births
2006 deaths
British male poets
20th-century British poets
20th-century British male writers
British Army personnel of World War II
British people in British Malaya
{{UK-poet-stub