Llewelyn Powys (13 August 1884 – 2 December 1939) was a British essayist,

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

and younger brother of

John Cowper Powys John Cowper Powys (; 8 October 187217 June 1963) was an English philosopher, lecturer, novelist, critic and poet born in Shirley, Derbyshire, where his father was vicar of the parish church in 1871–1879. Powys appeared with a volume of verse ...

and T. F. Powys.

Family

Powys was born in Dorchester, the son of the Reverend Charles Francis Powys (1843–1923), who was vicar of

Montacute Montacute is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 831 (2011 census). The name Montacute is thought by some to derive from the Latin "Mons Acutus", referring to the conically acute S ...

, Somerset for thirty-two years, and Mary Cowper Johnson, a granddaughter of Dr John Johnson, the cousin and friend of the poet

William Cowper William Cowper ( ; 26 November 1731 – 25 April 1800) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th-century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and sce ...

. He came from a family of eleven children, many of whom were also talented. Two brothers

and

Theodore Francis Powys Theodore Francis Powys (20 December 1875 – 27 November 1953) – published as T. F. Powys – was a British novelist and short-story writer."Powys, Theodore Francis" in Christine L. Krueger, ''Encyclopedia of British Writers, 19th and 20th Ce ...

were also well-known writers, while his sister

Philippa Philippa is a feminine given name meaning "lover of horses" or " horses' friend". Common alternative spellings include ''Filippa'' and ''Phillipa''. Less common is ''Filipa'' and even ''Philippe'' (cf. the French spelling of '' Philippa of Guelder ...

published a novel and some poetry. Another sister Marian Powys was an authority on lace and lace-making and published a book on this subject. His brother A. R. Powys was Secretary of the

Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) (also known as Anti-Scrape) is an amenity society founded by William Morris, Philip Webb, and others in 1877 to oppose the destructive 'restoration' of ancient buildings occurring in ...

, and published a number of books on architectural subjects.

Life

He was educated at

Sherborne School (God and My Right) , established = 705 by Aldhelm, re-founded by King Edward VI 1550 , closed = , type = Public school Independent, boarding school , religion = Church of England , president = , chair_label = Chairman of the governor ...

1899–1903 and

Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus"), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th century through to the early 19th centur ...

1903–1906. While lecturing in 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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

he contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...

. After his return in 1909, he travelled again, living for a while in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. He spent time in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, farming with his brother William near

Gilgil Gilgil, Kenya, is a town in Nakuru County, Kenya. The town is located between Naivasha and Nakuru and along the Nairobi - Nakuru highway. It is to the west of the Gilgil River, which flows south to feed Lake Naivasha. Gilgil has a population ...

British East Africa East Africa Protectorate (also known as British East Africa) was an area in the African Great Lakes occupying roughly the same terrain as present-day Kenya from the Indian Ocean inland to the border with Uganda in the west. Controlled by Bri ...

(now in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

) from 1914 to 1919. In 1920 he went again to America to work as a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

. While living in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

he met and married, in 1924, the novelist Alyse Gregory (1884–1967), editor of the journal ''

The Dial ''The Dial'' was an American magazine published intermittently from 1840 to 1929. In its first form, from 1840 to 1844, it served as the chief publication of the Transcendentalists. From the 1880s to 1919 it was revived as a political review and ...

''. In 1925 the couple moved to Dorset: firstly to the Coastguard Cottages on White Nothe and then to nearby farmhouse Chydyok, where his two sisters, the poet and novelist, Philippa Powys, and the artist, Gertrude Powys, occupied the adjacent cottage. This was close to the village of

East Chaldon Chaldon Herring or East Chaldon is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, about south-east of the county town of Dorchester. It is sited from the coast in the chalk hills of the South Dorset Downs. The highest point i ...

where his brother, the author Theodore Powys, lived from 1904 until 1940. Various other writers and artists lived in the village at different times, such as

Sylvia Townsend Warner Sylvia Nora Townsend Warner (6 December 1893 – 1 May 1978) was an English novelist, poet and musicologist, known for works such as ''Lolly Willowes'', '' The Corner That Held Them'', and '' Kingdoms of Elfin''. Life Sylvia Townsend Warner w ...

and

David Garnett David Garnett (9 March 1892 – 17 February 1981) was an English writer and publisher. As a child, he had a cloak made of rabbit skin and thus received the nickname "Bunny", by which he was known to friends and intimates all his life. Early ...

, the poets

Valentine Ackland Valentine Ackland (born Mary Kathleen Macrory Ackland; 20 May 1906 – 9 November 1969) was an English poet, and life partner of novelist Sylvia Townsend Warner. Their relationship was strained by Ackland’s infidelities and alcoholism, but su ...

and

Gamel Woolsey Gamel Woolsey (born Elizabeth Gammell Woolsey; May 28, 1897 – January 18, 1968) was an American poet, novelist and translator. Early life and education Woolsey was born on the Breeze Hill plantation in Aiken, South Carolina as Elizabeth Ga ...

, and the sculptors Elizabeth Muntz and Stephen Tomlin.

met

when she lived in

Patchin Place Patchin Place is a gated cul-de-sac located off of 10th Street between Greenwich Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Its ten 3-storyNew York City Landmarks P ...

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

, and, through him, his brother Llewelyn and his wife, Alyse Gregory. She and Alyse became friends for life, while with Llewelyn she had a passionate and painful love affair. Woolsey left New York for England in 1929, settling in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

to be near Llewelyn, where she came to know the whole Powys family and their circle. Parting from Llewelyn in 1930, she married the

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

and writer

Gerald Brenan Edward FitzGerald "Gerald" Brenan, CBE, MC (7 April 1894 – 19 January 1987) was a British writer and hispanist who spent much of his life in Spain. Brenan is best known for ''The Spanish Labyrinth'', a historical work on the background t ...

in a private ceremony, and they lived together, mainly in Spain, until her death. Powys traveled with his wife, paying visits to

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

(1928), the West Indies (1930) and Switzerland (1937). He died in Clavadel, Switzerland from complications related to an ulcer. His writings include a novel, ''Apples Be Ripe'' (1930), and a biography of

Henry Hudson Henry Hudson ( 1565 – disappeared 23 June 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the northeastern United States. In 1607 and 16 ...

(1927). He was very friendly with Hamilton Rivers Pollock, Barrister, owner from 1928, of Urchfont Manor.

Rationalism

Powys identified as a rationalist and wrote articles critical of religion in

freethought Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other methods ...

journals such as the '' Rationalist Annual'' and '' The Literary Guide''. He was an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

Bibliography

Works

*''Confessions of Two Brothers'' (1916) *''Ebony and Ivory'' (1923) short stories, sketches
''Thirteen Worthies''
(1923) essays *''Honey and Gall'' (1924) autobiography *''Black Laughter'' (1925) *''Cup-Bearers of Wine and Hellebore'' (1924) *''Skin for Skin'' (1925) autobiography *''The Verdict of Bridlegoose'' (1926) *''Henry Hudson'' (1927) *''Out of the Past'' (1928) *''The Cradle of God'' (1929)
''The Pathetic Fallacy''
(1930) *''An Hour on Christianity'' (1930) *''Apples Be Ripe'' (1930) *''A Pagan's Pilgrimage'' (1931) *''Impassioned Clay'' (1931) *''The Life and Times of Anthony à Wood'' (1932) *''Now That The Gods Are Dead'' (1932)
''Glory of Life''
(1934) *''Earth Memories'' (1935) *''Damnable Opinions'' (1935) *''Dorset Essays'' (1935) *''The Twelve Months'' (1936) *''How I Became and why I Remain a Rationalist'' (1937) *''Somerset Essays'' (1937) *''Rats in the Sacristy'' (1937) *''The Book of Days'' (1937) *''Love and Death'' (1939) *''A Baker's Dozen'' (1940) *''Old English Yuletide'' (1940) *''The Letters of Llewelyn Powys'' (1943) edited by

Louis Wilkinson Louis Umfreville Wilkinson (17 December 1881 – 12 September 1966) was a British author, lecturer and biographer who usually wrote under the pseudonym Louis Marlow. In a long career he associated with a number of the prominent literary figure ...

*''Swiss Essays'' (1947) *''Advice to a Young Man'' (1949) *''Llewelyn Powys: A Selection'' (1952) edited by Kenneth Hopkins

Critical studies

*Elwin, Malcolm (1946), ''The Life of Llewelyn Powys'' *Graves, Richard Percival, ''The Powys Brothers'' (Oxford:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

, 1984) *Ward, Richard Heron (1936), ''The Powys Brothers'' *Peter J. Foss (2007), ''A Bibliography of Llewelyn Powys'' *Wilkinson, Louis (1943), ''The Letters of Llewelyn Powys'' *Lee, Neil (2014),"Llewelyn Powys - The Man Behind the Myth" (New Age Poetry Press, 2014)

References

External links

*Sundial Pres

*The Powys Societ

* *
Manuscripts and Book Collections relating to members of the Powys family
at the University of Exeter {{DEFAULTSORT:Powys, Llewelyn 1884 births 1939 deaths 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis 20th-century essayists 20th-century English novelists Writers from Dorset People educated at Sherborne School Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Critics of Christianity English atheist writers English essayists Freethought writers People from Dorchester, Dorset Rationalists Tuberculosis deaths in Switzerland East Africa Protectorate people English autobiographers