Henry Harvey Wood

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

OBE (1903–1977) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

literary and artistic figure best known as a founder of the Edinburgh International Festival.

Life

He was born in Edinburgh on 5 September 1903 the second of three children to Henry Wood (d.1934) a paper-maker, and his wife, Anne Cassidy. He was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh on Calton Hill then studied at the Edinburgh College of Art. He then moved to Edinburgh University to study English Literature under a Vans Dunlop Scholarship. He graduated MA in 1931. He began lecturing in English Literature and

Rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

at Edinburgh immediately after graduating. He spoke with a lisp. In the Second World War he was declared unfit for active service, but worked briefly in Intelligence. Wood established a branch of the British Council in Edinburgh in 1940. He enlisted the help of artistic and literary friends such as the poet Edwin Muir In 1943 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were

Stanley Cursiter Stanley Cursiter (29 April 1887 – 22 April 1976) was an Orcadian artist who played an important role in introducing Post-impressionism and Futurism to Scotland. He served as the keeper (1919–1930), then director (1930–1948), of the Nati ...

James Cameron Smail Dr James Cameron Smail FRSE FRSGS PRSSA CBE LLD (1880-1970) was a Scottish university Principal. Heriot Watt University library is named the Cameron Smail Library in his honour. He wrote extensively on printing and the history of printing. Life ...

Thomas Elder Dickson Dr Thomas Elder Dickson PSSA FRSE (26 August 1899 – 31 March 1978) was a Scottish artist operational through the 20th century. He was also Vice-Principal of the Edinburgh College of Art from 1947 to 1968. He was President of the Society of Scot ...

and James Pickering Kendall. He also published critical editions of works by Robert Henryson and John Marston as well as a book on Scottish literature. He persuaded Rudolf Bing to meet with the Lord Provost of Edinburgh Sir John Falconer which led to the staging of the Festival in 1947. He served as the first chairman of the program committee and on the Executive Council. He left Edinburgh in 1950 when asked to run the British Council in France. He worked briefly in London before again working for the Council in Italy from 1960 to 1965. He returned to Edinburgh University in 1965. He died of cancer at his home, 158

Coleherne Court Coleherne Court is a large apartment block on the Old Brompton Road in the Earl's Court district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Coleherne Court stands on the site of the former Coleherne House and Hereford House. It was built ...

in London on 12 August 1977. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium on 17 August.

Publications

*''The Poems and Fables of Robert Henryson'' (1933) *''The Plays of John Marston'' (1934) *''The Cherrie and the Slae'' (1937) *''Scottish Literature'' (1952) *''Two Scots Chaucerians'' (1967) *'' William MacTaggart'' (1974)

Family

In 1932 he married Lily Terry (1907–2005). They had a son and two daughters.

Artistic recognition

His portrait by

Sir William Gillies Sir William George Gillies (1898–1973) was a renowned Scottish landscape and still life painter. He is often referred to simply as W. G. Gillies. Life Gillies was born in Haddington, East Lothian. He had just enrolled at the Edinburgh C ...

is held by the Scottish National Portrait Gallery but is rarely displayed.

References

1903 births 1977 deaths Writers from Edinburgh Academics of the University of Edinburgh 20th-century Scottish writers Deaths from cancer in England People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Alumni of the Edinburgh College of Art People of the British Council British arts administrators {{Scotland-writer-stub