Adrian Mitchell

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...

(24 October 1932 – 20 December 2008) was an English poet, novelist, and playwright. A former journalist, he became a noted figure on the British left. For almost half a century he was the foremost poet of the country's

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movement. His best-known poem, "To Whom It May Concern", was his bitterly sarcastic reaction to the televised horrors of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. Mitchell's poems ranged from anarchistic

anti-war An anti-war movement is a social movement in opposition to one or more nations' decision to start or carry on an armed conflict. The term ''anti-war'' can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conf ...

satire, through love poetry, to stories and poems for children. He also wrote librettos. In 2002, he was nominated, semi-seriously, as Britain's "Shadow Poet Laureate"

Early life and education

Adrian Mitchell was born on 24 October 1932 near

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, north London. His mother, Kathleen Fabian, was a Fröbel-trained nursery school teacher and his father, Jock Mitchell, a research chemist from

Cupar Cupar ( ; ) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fife, and the ...

in Fife. Adrian was educated at the Junior School of

Monkton Combe School Monkton Combe School is a public school ( fee-charging boarding and day school), in the village of Monkton Combe near Bath in Somerset, England. History Monkton Combe School was founded in 1868 by the Revd. Francis Pocock, a former curate ...

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

. He then went to Greenways School, at Ashton Gifford House in Wiltshire, run at the time by a friend of his mother. This, said Mitchell, was "a school in Heaven, where my first play, ''The Animals' Brains Trust'', was staged when I was nine to my great satisfaction." His schooling was completed as a boarder at

Dauntsey's School Dauntsey's School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils aged 11–18 in the village of West Lavington, Wiltshire, England. T ...

, where he collaborated in plays with friend Gordon Snell. Mitchell did his

National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

in the RAF. He commented that this "confirmed (his) natural pacificism". He went on to study English at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

, where he was taught by

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

's son. Mitchell became chairman of the university's poetry society and the literary editor of ''Isis'' magazine.

Career

On graduating, he got a job as a reporter on the ''

Oxford Mail ''Oxford Mail'' is a daily tabloid newspaper in Oxford, England, owned by Newsquest. It is published six days a week. It is a sister paper to the weekly tabloid ''The Oxford Times''. History The ''Oxford Mail'' was founded in 1928 by MP Fra ...

'' and, later, at the ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'' in London. He later wrote of this period: Ever inspired by the example of his own favourite poet and precursor

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

, about whom he wrote the acclaimed ''Tyger'' for the National Theatre, Mitchell's often angry output swirled from anarchistic

satire, through love poetry to, increasingly, stories and poems for children. He also wrote librettos. The Poetry Archive identified his creative yield as hugely prolific. He sought in his work to counteract the implications of his own assertion, that "Most people ignore most poetry because most poetry ignores most people." Mitchell gave frequent public readings, particularly for left-wing causes. Satire was his speciality. Commissioned to write a poem about

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

and his special relationship (as

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

) with the people of Wales, his measured response was short and to the point: "

Royalty Royalty may refer to: * the mystique/prestige bestowed upon monarchs ** one or more monarchs, such as kings, queens, emperors, empresses, princes, princesses, etc. *** royal family, the immediate family of a king or queen-regnant, and sometimes h ...

is a

neurosis Neurosis (: neuroses) is a term mainly used today by followers of Freudian thinking to describe mental disorders caused by past anxiety, often that has been repressed. In recent history, the term has been used to refer to anxiety-related con ...

. Get well soon." In "Loose Leaf Poem", from ''Ride the Nightmare'', Mitchell wrote: :''My brain socialist'' :''My heart anarchist'' :''My eyes pacifist'' :''My blood revolutionary'' He was in the habit of stipulating in any preface to his collections: "None of the work in this book is to be used in connection with any examination whatsoever." His best-known poem, "To Whom It May Concern", was his bitterly sarcastic reaction to the televised horrors of the Vietnam War. The poem begins: :''I was run over by the truth one day.'' :''Ever since the accident I’ve walked this way'' :''So stick my legs in plaster'' :''Tell me lies about Vietnam'' He first read it to thousands of

nuclear disarmament Nuclear disarmament is the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons. Its end state can also be a nuclear-weapons-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated. The term ''denuclearization'' is also used to describe the pro ...

protesters who, having marched through central London on CND's first new format one-day Easter March, finally crammed into

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early-19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy, ...

on the afternoon of Easter Day 1964. As Mitchell delivered his lines from the pavement in front of the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

, angry demonstrators in the square below scuffled with police. Over the years, he updated the poem to take into account recent events. In 1972, he confronted then-prime minister

Edward Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 ...

about germ warfare and the war in Northern Ireland. His poem "Victor Jara" was set to music by

Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk music, folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing protest song, songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his fa ...

and included on his 1976 album ''

Amigo Amigo(s) (Portuguese and Spanish for ''male friend'') may refer to: People * Carlos Amigo Vallejo (1934–2022), Spanish Roman Catholic archbishop emeritus of Seville Places Facilities * Amigos School, a bilingual primary school in Cambridge, M ...

''. Mitchell was later responsible for the well-respected musical stage adaptation of ''

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a portal fantasy novel written by British author 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 ...

'', a production commissioned and performed by the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

that premiered in November 1998 at the

Royal Shakespeare Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a Grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakespea ...

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...

, and transferring to the Barbican Theatre in London. His work for the

included

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...

's '' US'' and the English version of Peter Weiss's ''

Marat/Sade ''The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade'' (), usually shortened to ''Marat/Sade'' (), is a 1963 play by Peter Weiss. The work was firs ...

''. Ever inspired by the example of his own favourite poet and precursor

, about whom he wrote the acclaimed ''Tyger'' for the National Theatre, Mitchell's often angry output swirled from anarchistic

satire, through love poetry to, increasingly, stories and poems for children. He also wrote librettos. The Poetry Archive identified his creative yield as hugely prolific. After his death, in 2009 Frances Lincoln Children's Books published an adaptation of

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

: ''Shapeshifters: tales from Ovid's Metamorphoses'', written by Mitchell and illustrated by Alan Lee.

Other activities

Mitchell was for some years poetry editor of the ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

'', and was the first to publish an interview with

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

. One

Remembrance Sunday Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. It is held on the second Sunday in Nov ...

he laid the

Peace Pledge Union The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) is a non-governmental organisation that promotes pacifism, based in the United Kingdom. Its members are signatories to the following pledge: "War is a crime against humanity. I renounce war, and am therefore determine ...

's White Poppy wreath on the

Cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...

. On one International

Conscientious Objectors A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or freedom of religion, religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for ...

' Day, he read a poem at the ceremony at the

Conscientious Objectors Commemorative Stone The Conscientious Objectors' Commemorative Stone is on the north side of Tavistock Square, Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. In 1994 a stone commemorating "men and women conscientious objectors all over the world and in every age" ...

Tavistock Square Tavistock Square is a public square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden near Euston Station. History Tavistock Square was built shortly after 1806 by the property developer James Burton and the master builder Thomas Cubitt for Fr ...

in London.

Death and legacy

Mitchell died on 20 December 2008 at the age of 76 in a

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

hospital, following a suspected heart attack. For two months he had been suffering from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

. Two days earlier he had completed what turned out to be his last poem, "My Literary Career So Far".

Recognition and awards

In the late 1960s, British poets at a conference voted for Adrian Mitchell as the next poet laureate. Around 30 years later, he was nominated, semi-seriously, as Britain's "Shadow Poet Laureate" by ''Red Pepper'' magazine. In a National Poetry Day poll in 2005, Mitchell's poem "Human Beings" was voted the one most people would like to see launched into space.

Awards

Mitchell won several awards, including: * 1961: Eric Gregory Award * 1966:

PEN Translation Prize The PEN Translation Prize (formerly known as the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize through 2008) is an annual award given by PEN America (formerly PEN American Center) to outstanding translations into the English language. It has been pr ...

* 1971: Tokyo Festival Television Film Award * 2005: CLPE Poetry Award (shortlist) for ''Daft as a Doughnut''

Appraisal and tributes

Fellow writers could be effusive in their tributes.

John Berger John Peter Berger ( ; 5 November 1926 – 2 January 2017) was an English art critic, novelist, painter and poet. His novel '' G.'' won the 1972 Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism '' Ways of Seeing'', written as an accompaniment to t ...

said: "Against the present British state he opposes a kind of revolutionary

populism Populism is a essentially contested concept, contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the "common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently a ...

, bawdiness, wit and the tenderness sometimes to be found between animals."

Angela Carter Angela Olive Pearce (formerly Carter, Stalker; 7 May 1940 – 16 February 1992), who published under the name Angela Carter, was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picar ...

once wrote that Mitchell was "a joyous, acrid and demotic tumbling lyricist Pied Piper, determinedly singing us away from catastrophe."

Ted Hughes Edward James Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. He wa ...

stated: "In the world of verse for children, nobody has produced more surprising verse or more genuinely inspired fun than Adrian Mitchell." According to writer Jan Woolf, "He never let up. Most calls—'Can you do this one, Adrian?'—were answered, 'Sure, I'll be there.' His reading of 'Tell Me Lies' at a City Hall benefit just before the 2003

invasion of Iraq An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives ...

was electrifying. Of course, he couldn't stop that war, but he performed as if he could." "Adrian", said fellow poet Michael Rosen, "was a socialist and a

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

who believed, like William Blake, that everything human was ''

holy Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

''. That's to say he celebrated a love of life with the same fervour that he attacked those who crushed life. He did this through his poetry, his plays, his song lyrics and his own performances. Through this huge body of work, he was able to raise the spirits of his audiences, in turn exciting, inspiring, saddening and enthusing them.... He has sung, chanted, whispered and shouted his poems in every kind of place imaginable, urging us to love our lives, love our minds and bodies and to fight against

tyranny A tyrant (), in the modern English language, English usage of the word, is an autocracy, absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurper, usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defen ...

oppression Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment of, or exercise of power over, a group of individuals, often in the form of governmental authority. Oppression may be overt or covert, depending on how it is practiced. No universally accepted model ...

and exploitation." The critic

Kenneth Tynan Kenneth Peacock Tynan (2 April 1927 – 26 July 1980) was an English theatre critic and writer. Initially making his mark as a critic at ''The Observer'', he praised John Osborne's ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) and encouraged the emerging wave ...

called him "the British Mayakovsky". ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' said that Mitchell's had been a "forthright voice often laced with tenderness". His poems on such topics as

nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a War, military conflict or prepared Policy, political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are Weapon of mass destruction, weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conven ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, prisons and racism had become "part of the folklore of the Left. His work was often read and sung at demonstrations and rallies".

Personal life

Mitchell first married Maureen Bush, with whom he had two sons and a daughter. They adopted Boty Goodwin (1966–1995), daughter of the artist Pauline Boty, following the death of her father, literary agent Clive Goodwin, in 1978. Following Boty Goodwin's death from a heroin overdose, Mitchell wrote the poem "Especially when it snows" in her memory. He was survived by his second wife, actress Celia Hewitt, whose bookshop, Ripping Yarns, was in

Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...

, and their two daughters Sasha and Beattie.

Selected bibliography

* ''If You See Me Comin, novel (

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a British publishing firm headquartered in London and founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard (1893–1968) set up the publishing house in ...

, 1962) * ''Poems'' (Jonathan Cape, 1964; 978-0224608732) * ''Out Loud'' (Cape Goliard, 1968) * ''Ride the Nightmare'' (Cape, 1971; ) * ''Tyger: A Celebration Based on the Life and Works of William Blake'' (Cape, 1971; ) * ''The Apeman Cometh'' (Cape, 1975; ) * ''Man Friday'', novel (Futura, 1975; ) * ''For Beauty Douglas: Collected Poems 1953–79'', illus.

Ralph Steadman Ralph Idris Steadman (born 15 May 1936) is a British illustrator and collaborator with the American writer Hunter S. Thompson. Steadman draws satirical political cartoons, social caricatures, and picture books. Early life Steadman was born in ...

(

Allison & Busby Allison & Busby (A & B) is a publishing house based in London established by Clive Allison and Margaret Busby in 1967. The company has built up a reputation as a leading independent publisher. Background Launching as a publishing company in Ma ...

, 1981; ) * ''On the Beach at Cambridge: New Poems'' (Allison and Busby, 1984; ) * ''Nothingmas Day'', illus. John Lawrence (Allison & Busby, 1984; ) * ''Love Songs of World War Three: Collected Stage Lyrics'' (Allison and Busby, 1988; ) * ''All My Own Stuff'', illus. Frances Lloyd (

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

, 1991; ) * ''Adrian Mitchell's Greatest Hits – The Top Forty'', illus. Ralph Steadman (

Bloodaxe Books Bloodaxe Books is a British publishing house specializing in poetry. History Bloodaxe Books was founded in 1978 in Newcastle upon Tyne by Neil Astley, who is still editor and managing director. Bloodaxe moved its editorial office to Northumbe ...

, 1991; ) * ''Blue Coffee: Poems 1985–1996'' (Bloodaxe, 1996; 1997 reprint, ) * ''Heart on the Left: Poems 1953–1984'' (Bloodaxe, 1997; ) * ''Balloon Lagoon and Other Magic Islands of Poetry'', illus. Tony Ross (Orchard Books, 1997; ) * ''Nobody Rides the Unicorn'', illus. Stephen Lambert (Corgi Children's, new edn 2000; ) * ''All Shook Up: Poems 1997–2000'' (Bloodaxe, 2000; ) * ''The Shadow Knows: Poems 2001–2004'' (Bloodaxe, 2004) * ''Tell Me Lies: Poems 2005–2008'', illus. Ralph Steadman (Bloodaxe, 2009; ) * ''Umpteen Pockets'', illus. Tony Ross ( Orchard Books, 2009; ) * ''Daft as a Doughnut'' (Orchard Books, 2009; ) * ''Shapeshifters: Tales from Ovid's Metamorphoses'', illus. Alan Lee (

Frances Lincoln Frances Elisabeth Rosemary Lincoln (20 March 1945 – 26 February 2001) was an English independent publisher of illustrated books. She published under her own name and the company went on to become Frances Lincoln Publishers. In 1995, Lincoln w ...

, 2009; ) * ''Come on Everybody: Poems 1953–2008'' (Bloodaxe, 2012; ) * ''Just Adrian'' (United Kingdom: Oberon Books, 2012. )

References

External links

The Poetry Archive
*

Obituaries and tributes

*Walsh, David

(24 December 2008) ''World Socialist''
"Adrian Mitchell: protest poet and prose writer"
''The Times'', 23 December 2008. *Dan Carrier

''Camden New Journal'', 23 December 2008. * Michael Rosen, ttps://web.archive.org/web/20140910213041/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/law/columnists/article2048176.ece "Passionate poet unafraid of the big stuff" ''The Times'', 23 December 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Adrian 1932 births 2008 deaths 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English poets Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford English activists English librettists English male dramatists and playwrights English male journalists English male poets English pacifists English socialists Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People educated at Greenways School People educated at Monkton Combe School Transatlantic Records artists