Ruthven Campbell Todd (pronounced 'riven') (14 June 1914 – 11 October 1978) was a Scottish poet, artist and novelist, best known as an editor of the works of

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

, and expert on his printing techniques. During the 1940s he also wrote

detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...

under the pseudonym R. T. Campbell

John Clute John Frederick Clute (born 12 September 1940) is a Canadian-born author and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature who has lived in both England and the United States since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part ...

, "Todd, Ruthven", in ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, contin ...

'', edited by Clute and Peter Nicholls. London, Orbit,1994. (pp. 1299–1300). Peter Main, "The Novels of R.T. Campbell", in R.T. Campbell, ''Take Thee a Sharp Knife''. Stirling, Lomax Press, 2011, pp. 13–25. and children's fiction during the 1950s.

Biography

Edinburgh and Mull

Born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore o ...

,Gordon Jarvie, "Ruthven Todd", ''Zed20 Magazine'', 23, pp. 46-53. Todd was the eldest of the ten children of Walker Todd (an architect) and Christian Todd (née Craik). He was educated at Dalhousie Preparatory School,

Fettes College Fettes College () is a co-educational independent boarding and day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, with over two-thirds of its pupils in residence on campus. The school was originally a boarding school for boys only and became co-ed in 1983. I ...

and

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histo ...

. His short spell at art college convinced him that he had no creative talent as an artist and he thereafter pursued his ambition to become a poet and writer. At Fettes and art college he had proved to be a rebellious teenager and he left college prematurely to be sent by his parents to work for two years as an agricultural labourer on the

Isle of Mull The Isle of Mull ( gd, An t-Eilean Muileach ) or just Mull (; gd, Muile, links=no ) is the second-largest island of the Inner Hebrides (after Skye) and lies off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute. Covering ...

.David Goldie and Roderick Watson, ''From the Line: Scottish War Poetry 1914–1945''. Glasgow; Association for Scottish Literary Studies, 2014. (p. 204) He then returned to Edinburgh to begin a career in copy-writing and journalism, while writing poetry and novels. He left Edinburgh for London in 1935.

London and Essex

He lived in a variety of types of accommodation in central London until the flat he was renting in Bloomsbury was hit by a flying bomb in 1944. He then moved to Tilty Mill House near Dunmow in Essex (later rented to poet and novelist Elizabeth Smart). During the 1930s, he became friendly with

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Unde ...

Louis MacNeice Frederick Louis MacNeice (12 September 1907 – 3 September 1963) was an Irish poet and playwright, and a member of the Auden Group, which also included W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender and Cecil Day-Lewis. MacNeice's body of work was widely ...

, Geoffrey Grigson,Geoffrey Grigson, "Ruthven Todd", in Geoffrey Grigson, ''Recollections: Mainly of Artists and Writers''. London, Chatto and Windus, 1984, pp. 43-46. Norman Cameron, David Gascoyne and

Len Lye Leonard Charles Huia Lye (; 5 July 1901 – 15 May 1980) was a New Zealand artist known primarily for his experimental films and kinetic sculpture. His films are held in archives including the New Zealand Film Archive, British Film Institute, M ...

. He became a life-long friend of

Julian Symons Julian Gustave Symons (originally Gustave Julian Symons) (pronounced ''SIMM-ons''; 30 May 1912 – 19 November 1994) was a British crime writer and poet. He also wrote social and military history, biography and studies of literature. He was bor ...

,Julian Symons, "Ruthven Todd: Some Details for a Portrait", in Julian Symons, ''Critical Observations''. London, Faber and Faber, 1981, pp. 181-197. and a character based on Todd was included in Symons' first detective story, '' The Immaterial Murder Case''. He also knew

Wyndham Lewis Percy Wyndham Lewis (18 November 1882 – 7 March 1957) was a British writer, painter and critic. He was a co-founder of the Vorticist movement in art and edited ''BLAST,'' the literary magazine of the Vorticists. His novels include ''Tarr'' ( ...

, contributing to the Lewis issue of

's ''Twentieth Century Verse''. Lewis recruited Todd to keep awake the dozing

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 ...

, whose portrait Lewis was painting. He was secretary to the 1936 International Surrealist Exhibition, during which he was memorably required to rescue

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...

from suffocating inside a heavy diving suit. In 1937 he worked for a period for

Mass-Observation Mass-Observation is a United Kingdom social research project; originally the name of an organisation which ran from 1937 to the mid-1960s, and was revived in 1981 at the University of Sussex. Mass-Observation originally aimed to record everyday ...

where he developed lasting friendships with Humphrey Jennings and Kathleen Raine. During this period, and throughout his life, Todd struggled to keep afloat financially and had to supplement a meagre and uncertain income from writing poetry and novels by writing reviews, tutoring and copy-writing. Todd's two

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

novels ''Over the Mountain'' (1939) and ''The Lost Traveller'' (1943) both feature protagonists on symbolic journeys; Todd acknowledged the influence of Lewis and

Rex Warner Rex Warner (9 March 1905 – 24 June 1986) was an English classicist, writer, and translator. He is now probably best remembered for ''The Aerodrome'' (1941).Chris Hopkins, ''English Fiction in the 1930s: Language, Genre, History'' Continuum Inte ...

on the latter novel. ''Over the Mountain'', a satire on fascism, has its hero travel to a

dystopian A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

nation with an oppressive government. 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 ...

he was a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to objec ...

. Near the start of the war, he began work on an ambitious project in collaboration with the William Blake expert Sir Geoffrey Keynes to compile a

catalogue raisonné A ''catalogue raisonné'' (or critical catalogue) is a comprehensive, annotated listing of all the known artworks by an artist either in a particular medium or all media. The works are described in such a way that they may be reliably identified ...

of the artworks of William Blake. The project was to be abandoned in 1947, after Todd moved to New York, but not before a great deal had been achieved.

United States

Todd moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

in 1947, where he lived for the next twelve years, becoming a US citizen in 1959. He lived initially in New York where he became friendly with the writers Alastair Reid and Howard Schoenfeld. He worked in the summer of 1947 at

Stanley William Hayter Stanley William Hayter (27 December 1901 – 4 May 1988) was an English painter and printmaker associated in the 1930s with surrealism and from 1940 onward with abstract expressionism. Regarded as one of the most significant printmakers of th ...

's Atelier 17 printing workshop, where he collaborated with

Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , , ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramicist born in Barcelona. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona i ...

and other artists in experiments relating to William Blake's printing methods. He founded and ran the Weekend Press during the early 1950s, and received friendship and some financial support from

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety i ...

. He was one of the main participants in the events surrounding

's death in 1953.Peter Main, ''A Fervent Mind: The Life of Ruthven Todd''. Stirling, Lomax Press, 2018. In 1954 he moved to live on the island of Martha's Vineyard where he began to write children's fiction, with the launch of the ''Space Cat'' series. In 1959 he was commissioned by the Trustees of the Dylan Thomas Estate to write the official biography of Thomas. However, he was forced to abandon the work three years later and the job passed to Constantine Fitzgibbon.

Mallorca

In 1960, Todd moved to

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bale ...

, briefly living in the village of

Deià Deià is a municipality and small coastal village in the Serra de Tramuntana, which forms the northern ridge of the Spanish island of Mallorca. It is located about north of Valldemossa, and it is known for its literary and musical residents. ...

, where he became a friend of

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was a British poet, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were both Celti ...

, before settling in the El Terreno district of

Palma de Mallorca Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of Mallorc ...

. He moved in 1965 to the mountain village of Galilea where he spent the remainder of his life. During the 1970s he visited America on a number of occasions to give lecture courses on Creative Writing and William Blake at the Universities of Buffalo and Maryland. He died in Galilea from emphysema in 1978. The first biography of Ruthven Todd was published in 2018, and a bibliography of his works was published in 2020.Christopher Todd, rev. Peter Main and Forbes Gibb, ''Ruthven Todd (1914-1978) : A Finding List''. Stirling, Lomax Press, 2020.

Personal life

In 1937, Todd married Cicely Crew, daughter of the geneticist Professor Francis Crew. They had one son, Christopher, born in 1939. The couple separated in 1943 and were divorced three years later. While living in New York in 1949, Todd was briefly and unsuccessfully married to Paula Norworth, before a third marriage to the artist and sculptor Joellen Hall in 1952.Horrocks, Roger (2001) ''Len Lye: A Biography'', Auckland University Press p250 They divorced in 1956. Todd had a lifelong interest in the natural world,Peter Main, "Ruthven Todd: Writer and Naturalist", in R.T. Campbell, ''The Death Cap''. Stirling, Lomax Press, 2013, pp. 9–20. particularly in plants and fungi, and was a knowledgeable amateur mycologist. He was also a highly skilled illustrator of wild flowers and fungi. He made some money from selling his drawings, but most were given away to friends. From his teenage years and throughout his life, Todd was a chronic alcoholic. He underwent treatment for addiction in 1965, but this was only partially successful. He was also a chain-smoker and suffered from frequent bouts of pulmonary illness.

Bibliography

*''Proems'' ( Fortune Press, 1938) as contributor *''Over the Mountain'' (Harrap, 1939) *''Poets of Tomorrow'' (

Hogarth Press The Hogarth Press is a book publishing imprint of Penguin Random House that was founded as an independent company in 1917 by British authors Leonard Woolf and Virginia Woolf. It was named after their house in Richmond (then in Surrey and no ...

, 1939) as contributor *''The Laughing Mulatto'' (Rich and Cowan, 940 biography of

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...

*''Ten Poems'' (privately printed, 1940) *''William Blake: Songs of Innocence and of Experience'' (privately printed, 1941) folio of prints *''Until Now'' (1942) Fortune Press, poems *''The Life of William Blake by

Alexander Gilchrist Alexander Gilchrist (182830 November 1861), an English author, is known mainly as a biographer of William Etty and of William Blake. Gilchrist's biography of Blake is still a standard reference work about the poet. Gilchrist was born at Newin ...

'' (Dent, 1942) as editor *''Poems for Penny'' (privately printed, 1942) *''The Lost Traveller'' ( Grey Walls Press, 1943) *''The Acreage of the Heart'' (William Maclellan, 1944) poems *''The Planet in my Hand'' (privately printed, 1944) poems *'' Unholy Dying'' (John Westhouse, 1945) as R. T. Campbell *''The Planet in my Hand'' (Grey Walls Press, 1946) poems (different selection from 1944 version) *''Tracks in the Snow'' (Grey Walls Press, 1946) essays on

Henry Fuseli Henry Fuseli ( ; German: Johann Heinrich Füssli ; 7 February 1741 – 17 April 1825) was a Swiss painter, draughtsman and writer on art who spent much of his life in Britain. Many of his works, such as '' The Nightmare'', deal with supernat ...

and John Martin *''First Animal Book'' (Peter Lunn, 1946) juvenile verses accompanying

Thomas Bewick Thomas Bewick (c. 11 August 17538 November 1828) was an English wood-engraver and natural history author. Early in his career he took on all kinds of work such as engraving cutlery, making the wood blocks for advertisements, and illustrating ch ...

engravings *''Take thee a Sharp Knife'' (John Westhouse, 1946) as R. T. Campbell *''Adventure with a Goat'' (John Westhouse, 1946) as R. T. Campbell *''Apollo Wore a Wig'' (John Westhouse, 1946) as R. T. Campbell *'' Bodies in a Bookshop'' (John Westhouse, 1946) as R. T. Campbell *'' Death for Madame'' (John Westhouse, 1946) as R. T. Campbell *'' The Death Cap'' (John Westhouse, 1946) as R. T. Campbell *'' Swing Low, Swing Death'' (John Westhouse, 1946) as R. T. Campbell *''Blake: Songs of Innocence and of Experience'' (United Book Guild, 1947) as editor *''William Blake: America, a prophecy'' (United Book Guild, 1947) as editor *''A Century of British Painters'' (Phaidon Press, 1947) as editor, original authors Richard Redgrave and Samuel Redgrave *''Christopher Smart: A Song to David and other poems'' (Grey Walls Press, 1947) as editor *''William Blake: Poems'' (Grey Walls Press, 1949) as editor *''In Other Worlds'' (The Piper's Press, 1951) poems *''Two Poems: Christmas 1951'' (Weekend Press, 1951) *''Space Cat'' (Scribner's, 1952) juvenile *''Loser's Choice'' (Hermitage House, 1953) *''The Tropical Fish Book'' (Fawcett, 1953) *''Poem: 1954'' (privately printed, 1954) *''A Mantelpiece of Shells'' (Bonacio and Saul, 1954) poems *''Trucks, Tractors, and Trailers'' (Putnam, 1954) juvenile *''Monotropa Uniflora'' (privately printed, 1955) poem *''Space Cat Visits Venus'' (Scribner's, 1955) juvenile *''Space Cat Meets Mars'' (Scribner's, 1957) juvenile *''Space Cat and the Kittens'' (Scribner's, 1958) juvenile *''Tan's Fish'' (Little, Brown and Co., 1958) juvenile *''Blake: Selected Poetry'' (Dell, 1960) as editor *''Funeral of a Child'' (privately printed, 1962) poem *''Garland for the Winter Solstice'' (Dent, 1961) poems *''Poetry of the Thirties'' (Penguin Books, 1964) as contributor *''The Geography of Faces'' (privately printed, 1965) poem *''Blake's Dante Plates'' (Book Collecting and Library Monthly, 1968) *''William Blake: The Artist'' (Studio Vista, 1971) *''

John Berryman John Allyn McAlpin Berryman (born John Allyn Smith, Jr.; October 25, 1914 – January 7, 1972) was an American poet and scholar. He was a major figure in American poetry in the second half of the 20th century and is considered a key figure in th ...

1914–1972'' (Poem of the Month Club, 1972) poem *''Lament of the Cats of Rapallo'' (privately printed, 1973) poem *''A Short Happy Poem for Marianne Moore'' (University of Buffalo, 1973) poem *''A Godson Born in the 70s'' (privately printed, 1973) poem *''The Ghost of Dylan Thomas'' (Happenstance Press, 2014) posthumously published memoir

External Links

* Archival Material a
Leeds University Library

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Todd, Ruthven Scottish novelists Scottish mystery writers Scottish science fiction writers 1914 births 1978 deaths British conscientious objectors Scottish conscientious objectors People educated at Fettes College Surrealist poets Alumni of the Edinburgh College of Art British anti-fascists Writers from Edinburgh 20th-century British novelists 20th-century Scottish poets Scottish male poets 20th-century British male writers Atelier 17 alumni Naturalized citizens of the United States