Peter Burra (1909 – 27 April 1937) was a British writer and critic, the author of "The Novels of E. M. Forster".
Early life
Peter Burra and his twin sister Nella Burra were close friend with Peter Pears; Burra and Pears went to school together at
Lancing College and then
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. Helen "Nella" Pomfret Burra (1909–1999) was a singer and actress who worked with the Group Theatre productions. She married actor and director
John Moody (1906–1993).
At Lancing College, both Pears, piano, and Burra, violin, were members of the Lancing Chamber Music Society.
Career
From February 1930 to June 1931, Peter Burra edited the literary magazine ''Farrago'', published by
Simon Nowell Smith
Simon may refer to:
People
* Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon
* Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon
* Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...
. They were 6 numbers in total and the cover designs and plates were by
Edward Burra,
Albert Rutherston,
Oliver Holt
Oliver Charles T Holt (born 22 May 1966) is an English sports journalist who writes for the newspaper ''The Mail on Sunday'' in the United Kingdom. He is the son of Thomas Holt and Coronation Street actress Eileen Derbyshire and is an avid Stoc ...
and
Laurence Whistler. In issue 5 there is also an headpiece by
Rex Whistler. The magazine published early poems by
Evelyn Waugh and
Cecil Day-Lewis
Cecil Day-Lewis (or Day Lewis; 27 April 1904 – 22 May 1972), often written as C. Day-Lewis, was an Irish-born British poet and Poet Laureate from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudonym of Nicholas Bla ...
, plus contributions by
A.J.A. Symons
Alphonse James Albert Symons (pronounced ''SIMM-ons''; (16 August 1900 – 26 August 1941) was an English writer and bibliographer.
Early life and education
Symons was the eldest of four sons and a daughter born to auctioneer Morris (or Maurice) ...
,
John Sparrow,
Max Beerbohm and
Lord David Cecil.
Burra was an essayist; in 1934, in "The Novels of E.M. Forster", he was the first to highlight
E. M. Forster's highly musical technique of employing textual leitmotifs, which he referred to as "rhythm". He would go on and write the introduction to Everyman edition of ''
A Passage to India'' (1942), released after his death. E.M.Forster said of him that he was "the best critic of his generation".
Also in 1934, Burra wrote ''Van Gogh'', published by Duckworth, and in 1936, again with Duckworth, he published ''Wordsworth, Great Lives''. These two biographies established his reputation as a writer.
Burra was a special correspondent for ''
The Times'', and it was while in Barcelona to cover the ISCM Music Festival that he met Benjamin Britten for the first time; in a letter dated 1 May 1936, Burra tells Pears he has also met Britten's close friend
Lennox Berkeley. In 1936 Pears was living in Burra's cottage in
Bucklebury Common.
Burra was a book reviewer for ''
The Spectator''.
In November 1936, Burra reviewed "The Agamemnon of Aeschylus" produced by
Rupert Doone
Rupert Doone (born Reginald Woodfield, 14 August 1903 – 4 March 1966) was a British dancer, choreographer, theatre director, and teacher in London.
Biography
Doone was born in Redditch, Worcestershire, from a Worcestershire family in reduced ...
with music of Britten; the review appeared in the ''Group Theatre Paper''.
Personal life
Peter Burra was friends with both
Peter Pears and
Benjamin Britten at different times. Pears lived with him at Bucklebury Common and Britten, while referring to him, used the word "Dear", which was "Britten's blanket term for his intimate friends"; he used the same word in regard to Peter Pears and Lennox Berkeley.
Burra was killed on 27 April 1937, when a light aircraft flown by a friend crashed near Bucklebury Common, Berkshire.
It was to have been Peter's first flying lesson. After visiting Spain, and a few days before the bombing of Guernica, he was hoping to help provide air-cover to Republicans.
It was while sorting Burra's personal effects that the relationship between Pears and Britten started.
Legacy
Benjamin Britten wrote an unpublished song, "Not Even Summer Yet", for Peter Pears dedicated to Peter Burra. Pears sang it for the first time accompanied by Gordon Thorne during a concert to the memory of Burra. The song was later revived by tenor
Neil Mackle accompanied at the piano by
Iain Burnside, at Wigmore Hall, London, on 22 November 1983.
Lennox Berkeley and Benjamin Britten dedicated the orchestral suite, ''
Mont Juic'' (1937) "In memory of Peter Burra".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burra, Peter
1909 births
1937 deaths
People educated at Lancing College
Alumni of the University of Oxford
British literary critics
British essayists
The Times people
The Spectator people
British biographers
British magazine editors
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in England
20th-century essayists