Roger Gilbert Lancelyn Green (2 November 1918 – 8 October 1987) was a British biographer and children's writer. He was an Oxford academic who formed part of the Inklings literary discussion group along with

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...

and J. R. R. Tolkien. He had a positive influence on his friend, C.S. Lewis, by encouraging him to publish ''

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). Among all the ...

''.

Biography

Roger Lancelyn Green was born in 1918 in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

, England, to Major Gilbert Arthur Lancelyn Green (1887–1947), of the Royal Artillery, and Helena Mary Phyllis, daughter of Lt-Col Charles William Henry Sealy, of Hambledon House, Hampshire. The landed gentry Lancelyn Green family can be traced back to 1093, with the marriage of Randle Greene (sic) and Elizabeth, daughter of William Lancelyn, taking place in the reign of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

.Burke's Landed Gentry, 18th ed., vol. 3, ed. Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, 1972, 'Lancelyn Green of Poulton-Lancelyn' pedigree He studied under

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, ...

, where he obtained a B.Litt. degree. As an undergraduate, he performed in the Oxford University Dramatic Society's Shakespeare dramas produced by Nevill Coghill, also a member of the Inklings. He was deputy librarian at Merton College from 1945 to 1950, then William Noble Research Fellow in English Literature at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

from 1950 to 1952. As Andrew Lang Lecturer at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

from 1968 to 1969, he delivered the 1968 Andrew Lang lecture. Lancelyn Green remained close to Lewis until the latter's death in 1963, and holidayed in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

with Lewis and his wife Joy Gresham just before her death from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in 1960. When Lewis started writing the

Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven high fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' has been Adaptations of The Chron ...

books in the late 1940s, Lancelyn Green suggested that they should be called ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. Lancelyn Green lived in

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county tow ...

Poulton Hall Poulton Hall is a country house in Poulton Road, Poulton, an area to the south of Bebington, Wirral, Merseyside, England. The present hall was built in 1653 and was extended in the following centuries. It is built in pebbledashed brick with st ...

, a

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals ...

that his ancestors had owned for more than 900 years; he was Lord of the Manors of Poulton-Lancelyn and Lower Bebington. He died on 8 October 1987 at the age of 68. One of his sons was the writer

Richard Lancelyn Green Richard GordonBurke's Landed Gentry, 18th ed., vol. 3, ed. Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, 1972, 'Lancelyn Green of Poulton-Lancelyn' pedigree Lancelyn Green (10 July 1953 – 27 March 2004) was a British scholar of Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock H ...

Works

Fiction

Lancelyn Green became known primarily for his writings for children, particularly his retellings of the myths of

(''Tales of the Greek Heroes'' and ''The Tale of Troy'') and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

(''Tales of Ancient Egypt''), as well the

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern per ...

(''The Saga of Asgard'', later renamed ''Myths of the Norsemen'') and the stories of

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as ...

(''King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table'') and

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

(''The Adventures of Robin Hood''). His works of original fiction include ''The Luck of Troy'', set during the Trojan War, and ''The Land of the Lord High Tiger'', a fantasy that has been compared to the Narnia books. Chronological order * ''The Singing Rose and Other Poems'' (Edmund Ward 1947) * " From the World's End" (1948) *''

The Luck of the Lynns ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' (1952) * ''

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table ''King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table'' is a retelling of the Arthurian legends, principally Thomas Malory's ''Le Morte d'Arthur'', by Roger Lancelyn Green. It was intended for a child audience. It was first published by Puffin Books ...

'' (1954) * ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1956) * ''The Book of Nonsense'' (1956) * ''Two Satyr Plays: Euripides' Cyclops and Sophocles' Ichneutai'' (1957) * ''The Land of the Lord High Tiger'' (1958) * ''Tales of the Greek Heroes: Retold From the Ancient Authors'' (1958) * ''The Tale of Troy: Retold from the Ancient Authors'' (1958) * ''Mystery at Mycenae: An Adventure Story of Ancient Greece'' (1959) * ''Myths of the Norsemen: Retold from the Old Norse Poems and Tales'' (1960) * ''A Century of Humorous Verse 1850–1950'' (J. M. Dent & Sons 1959) * ''The Luck of Troy'' (1961) * '' Once Long Ago: Folk and Fairy Tales of the World'' (1962, illustrations by Vojtěch Kubašta) * ''Authors & Places: A Literary Pilgrimage'' (1963) * ''Tellers of Tales : British Authors of Children’s Books from 1800 to 1964'' (1965) * ''Tales the Muses Told: Ancient Greek Myths'' (1965) * ''Tales from Shakespeare'' (Atheneum 1965) * ''Tales of Ancient Egypt'' (1967) * ''Ancient Greece'' (John Day Co. 1969) * ''A Cavalcade of Dragons'' (H. Z. Walck 1970) * ''A Cavalcade of Magicians'' (H. Z. Walck 1973) * ''Strange Adventures in Time'' (1974, editor, drawings by

George Adamson George Alexander Graham Adamson MBE (3 February 1906 – 20 August 1989), also known as the ''Baba ya Simba'' ("Father of Lions" in Swahili), was a Kenyan wildlife conservationist and author. He and his wife, Joy, were depicted in the film '' ...

, J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd, London; E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., New York) * ''The Tale of Thebes'' (Cambridge University Press 1977) * ''The Beaver Book of Other Worlds '' (1978)

Biographies

Lancelyn Green wrote biographies of

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succ ...

Andrew Lang Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 – 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University o ...

, and

. His new edition of selected tales of

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consist ...

contains a short biography. He also wrote a brief biography of

Anthony Hope Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins, better known as Anthony Hope (9 February 1863 – 8 July 1933), was a British novelist and playwright. He was a prolific writer, especially of adventure novels but he is remembered predominantly for only two books: '' T ...

as the introduction to a one-volume

Everyman's Library Everyman's Library is a series of reprints of classic literature, primarily from the Western canon. It is currently published in hardback by Random House. It was originally an imprint of J. M. Dent (itself later a division of Weidenfeld & N ...

edition of ''

The Prisoner of Zenda ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in orde ...

'' and its sequel ''

Rupert of Hentzau ''Rupert of Hentzau'' is a sequel by Anthony Hope to ''The Prisoner of Zenda'', written in 1895 but not published in book form until 1898. The novel was serialized in '' The Pall Mall Magazine'' and '' McClure's Magazine'' from December 1897 t ...

''. He was editor of the '' Kipling Journal'', 1957–1979. Lancelyn Green was particularly interested in

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...

, publishing several books and articles. His book ''The Story of Lewis Carroll'' (1949) led to an invitation from Carroll's nieces, Violet and Menella Dodgson, to produce an edited version of his diary; this appeared in 1953, and has been at the centre of the recent debate about the alleged 'Carroll Myth'.

Karoline Leach Karoline Leach (born 20 July 1967) is a British playwright and author, best known for her book '' In the Shadow of the Dreamchild'' (), which re-examines the life of Lewis Carroll (pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), the author of ''Alice's ...

devoted much space to considering it in her book ''

In the Shadow of the Dreamchild ''In the Shadow of the Dreamchild: A New Understanding of Lewis Carroll'' is a 1999 book by British author Karoline Leach that posited the concept of the "Carroll Myth": the idea that many of the most famous aspects of Lewis Carroll's biography, ...

'', claiming that something like 60% of the diary material was left out of this publication, and that Lancelyn Green's allegedly partial, inaccurate and misleading editing had contributed to a continued misrepresentation of Carroll in biographies and the media. At the time of publication, Lancelyn Green claimed to have seen all the diaries and certainly gave the impression he had been allowed unrestricted access, however Leach alleges he later retracted this claim and admitted he had been forced to work with heavily edited transcripts prepared for him by Menella Dodgson, 'for reasons of safety'. He was later a founder and vice-president of the Lewis Carroll Society and helped

Morton N. Cohen Morton Norton Cohen (27 February 192112 June 2017) was a Canadian-born American author and scholar who was a professor at City University of New York. He is best known for his studies of children's author Lewis Carroll including the 1995 biography ...

to edit Carroll's collected letters. Chronological order * ''Andrew Lang: A Critical Biography'' (E. Ward, 1946) * ''The Story of Lewis Carroll'' (H. Schuman, 1951) * ''A. E. W. Mason : The Adventure of a Story Teller'' (Max Parrish, 1952) * ''The Letters of Lewis Carroll'', 2 volumes (1953) * ''Fifty Years of Peter Pan'' (Peter Davies, 1954) * ''Into Other Worlds : Space-Flight in fiction, from Lucian to Lewis'' (Abelard-Schuman, 1957) * ''J. M. Barrie'' (Bodley Head, 1960) * ''Lewis Carroll'' (Bodley Head, 1960) * '' Mrs Molesworth'' (Bodley Head, 1961) * ''The Readers' Guide to Rudyard Kipling's Work'' (R. E. Harboard, 1962) * ''Kipling and the Children'' (Elek Books, 1965) * ''Henry Treece, C. S. Lewis and Beatrix Potter'' (Bodley Head Ltd, 1969) with Margery Fisher and Marcus Crouch * ''C. S. Lewis: A Biography'' (1974) with Walter Hooper

References

External links