Cecil Day-Lewis (or Day Lewis; 27 April 1904 – 22 May 1972), often written as C. Day-Lewis, was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

poet and

Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom The British poet laureate is an honorary position appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister. The role does not entail any specific duties, but there is an expectation ...

from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudonym Nicholas Blake, most of which feature the fictional detective Nigel Strangeways. During World War II, Day-Lewis worked as a publications editor in the UK government's Ministry of Information and also served in the Musbury branch of the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

. He was the father of actor

Daniel Day-Lewis Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English actor. Often described as one of the greatest actors in the history of cinema, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Daniel Day-Lewis, numerous a ...

, and documentary filmmaker and television chef Tamasin Day-Lewis.

Life and work

Day-Lewis was born in 1904 in Ballintubbert,

Athy Athy ( ; ) is a market town at the meeting of the River Barrow and the Grand Canal in south-west County Kildare, Ireland, 72 kilometres southwest of Dublin. A population of 11,035 (as of the 2022 census) made it the sixth largest town in Kil ...

/ Stradbally border, Queen's County (now known as

County Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

), Ireland. He was the son of Frank Day-Lewis, a

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

rector of that parish, and Kathleen Blake (née Squires; died 1906). Some of his family were from England and the family had originally been from

Berkhamsted Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the River Bulbourne, Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which ...

, in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, and settled in Ireland in the late 1860s. His father took the surname "Day-Lewis" as a combination of his own birth father's ("Day") and adoptive father's ("Lewis") surnames. In his autobiography ''The Buried Day'' (1960), Day-Lewis wrote: "As a writer I do not use the hyphen in my surname – a piece of inverted snobbery which has produced rather mixed results." After the death of his mother in 1906, when he was two years old, Cecil was brought up in London by his father, with the help of an aunt, spending summer holidays with relatives in

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

. He was educated at

Sherborne School Sherborne School is a full-boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18 located beside Sherborne Abbey in the Dorset town of Sherborne. The school has been in continuous operation on the same site for over 1,300 years. It was founded in 705 AD by Ald ...

and at

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street, Oxford, Broad Street and Parks Road ...

. In Oxford, Day-Lewis became part of the circle gathered around

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

and helped him to edit ''Oxford Poetry 1927''. His first collection of poems, ''Beechen Vigil'', appeared in 1925. In 1928, Day-Lewis married Constance Mary King, the daughter of a Sherborne teacher. Day-Lewis worked as a schoolmaster in three schools, including Larchfield School,

Helensburgh Helensburgh ( ; ) is a town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local government reorganisation in 1996. Histo ...

, Scotland (now Lomond School).Cecil Day-Lewis
During the 1940s, he had a long and troubled love affair with the novelist Rosamond Lehmann, to whom he dedicated his 1943 poetry collection ''Word Over All''. In 1948, Day-Lewis met actress Jill Balcon, daughter of

Michael Balcon Sir Michael Elias Balcon (19 May 1896 – 17 October 1977) was an English film producer known for his leadership of Ealing Studios in west London from 1938 to 1956. Under his direction, the studio became one of the most important British film ...

, at the recording of a radio programme and began an affair with her that year. He conducted simultaneous relationships with his wife Constance Mary, who lived with their two sons in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, with Lehmann, who lived in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

, and with Balcon. Finally he broke with his wife and Lehmann, and after his marriage was dissolved in 1951, he married Balcon, but he was no more faithful to her than he had been to his wife or Lehmann. Jill's father was deeply unhappy about the scandalous affair since she was named publicly as co-respondent in Day-Lewis' divorce. He disinherited her and cut off all relationships with her and Day-Lewis. During the Second World War, Day-Lewis worked as a publications editor in the Ministry of Information, an institution satirised by

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

in his dystopian ''

Nineteen Eighty-Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also published as ''1984'') is a dystopian novel and cautionary tale by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final completed book. Thematically ...

'', but equally based on Orwell's experience of the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. During the Second World War, his work was less influenced by Auden and he was developing a more traditional style of lyricism. Some critics believe that he reached his full stature as a poet in ''Word Over All'' (1943), when he finally distanced himself from Auden. After the war, he joined the publisher Chatto & Windus as a director and senior editor. In 1946, Day-Lewis was a lecturer at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, publishing his lectures in ''The Poetic Image'' (1947). Day-Lewis became a

Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the

1950 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1950 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate the ...

. He later taught poetry at

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, where he was

Professor of Poetry The Professor of Poetry is an academic appointment at the University of Oxford. The chair was created in 1708 by an endowment from the estate of Henry Birkhead. The professorship carries an obligation to deliver an inaugural lecture; give one p ...

from 1951 to 1956. During 1962–1963, he was the Norton Professor at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. Day-Lewis was appointed Poet Laureate in 1968, in succession to

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer. He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967, during which time he lived at Burcot, Oxfordshire, near Abingdon ...

. His appointment came after appointments secretary John Hewitt consulted with Dame Helen Gardner, the Merton Professor of English at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

(who stated that Day-Lewis "produced run of the mill poetry but nothing particularly outstanding") and Geoffrey Handley-Taylor, chair of the

Poetry Society The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry". The society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society ...

(who stated that Day-Lewis was "a good administrative poet" and "a safe bet"). Day-Lewis was chairman of the

Arts Council An arts council is a government or private non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts; mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing arts events. They often operate at arms-length from the government to prevent pol ...

Literature Panel, vice-president of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

, an Honorary Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

, a Member of the Irish Academy of Letters and a Professor of Rhetoric at

Gresham College Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in Central London, England that does not accept students or award degrees. It was founded in 1597 under the Will (law), will of Sir Thomas Gresham, ...

, London. Cecil Day-Lewis died from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

on 22 May 1972, aged 68, at Lemmons, the Hertfordshire home of

Kingsley Amis Sir Kingsley William Amis (16 April 1922 – 22 October 1995) was an English novelist, poet, critic and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, short stories, radio and television scripts, and works of social crit ...

and

Elizabeth Jane Howard Elizabeth Jane Howard (26 March 1923 – 2 January 2014), was an English novelist. She wrote 12 novels including the best-selling series ''The'' ''Cazalet Chronicle''. Early life Howard's father was Major David Liddon Howard (1896–1958), a ...

, where he and his family were staying. As a great admirer of

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Literary realism, Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry ...

, he arranged to be buried near the author's grave at St Michael's Church in

Stinsford Stinsford is a village and civil parish in southwest Dorset, England, about east of Dorchester. The parish includes the settlements of Higher and Lower Bockhampton. The name Stinsford may derive from , Old English for a limited area of pasture ...

. Day-Lewis was the father of four children. His first two children, with Constance Mary King, were Sean Day-Lewis (3 August 1931 – 9 June 2022), a TV critic and writer, and Nicholas Day-Lewis, who became an engineer. His children with Balcon were Tamasin Day-Lewis, a television chef and food critic, and Sir

, who became an award-winning actor. Sean Day-Lewis wrote a biography of his father, ''C. Day-Lewis: An English Literary Life'' (1980). Sir Daniel Day-Lewis donated his father's archive of poetry to the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

Nicholas Blake

In 1935, Day-Lewis decided to increase his income from poetry by writing a detective novel, '' A Question of Proof'', under the pseudonym Nicholas Blake. He created Nigel Strangeways, an amateur investigator and

gentleman detective The gentleman detective is a type of fictional character. He (or she) has long been a staple of crime fiction, particularly in detective novels and short stories set in the United Kingdom in the Golden Age. While not necessarily aristocracy, the ...

who, as the nephew of an Assistant Commissioner at

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...

, has access to official crime investigations. He published nineteen further crime novels. (In the first Nigel Strangeways novel, the detective is modelled on

, but Day-Lewis developed the character as a far less extravagant and more serious figure in later novels.) From the mid-1930s, Day-Lewis was able to earn his living by writing. Four of the Blake novels – '' A Tangled Web'', '' A Penknife in My Heart'', '' The Deadly Joker'', '' The Private Wound'' – do not feature Strangeways. '' Minute for Murder'' is set against the background of Day-Lewis's Second World War experiences in the Ministry of Information. '' Head of a Traveller'' features as a principal character a well-known poet, frustrated and suffering writer's block, whose best poetic days are long behind him. Readers and critics have speculated whether the author is describing himself or one of his colleagues or has entirely invented the character.

Political views

In his youth and during the disruption and suffering of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Day-Lewis adopted communist views, becoming a member of the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...

from 1935 to 1938. His early poetry was marked by didacticism and a preoccupation with social themes.Day Lewis, C
Infoplease In 1937, he edited ''The Mind in Chains: Socialism and the Cultural Revolution''. In the introduction, he supported a popular front against a "Capitalism that has no further use for culture". He explains that the title refers to

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titans, Titan. He is best known for defying the Olympian gods by taking theft of fire, fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technol ...

bound by his chains, quotes Shelley's preface to '' Prometheus Unbound'' and says the contributors believe that "the Promethean fire of enlightenment, which should be given for the benefit of mankind at large, is being used at present to stoke up the furnaces of private profit". The contributors were: Rex Warner,

Edward Upward Edward Falaise Upward, FRSL (9 September 1903 – 13 February 2009) was a British novelist and short story writer who, prior to his death, was believed to be the UK's oldest living author. Initially gaining recognition amongst the Auden Group a ...

, Arthur Calder-Marshall, Barbara Nixon,

Anthony Blunt Anthony Frederick Blunt (26 September 1907 – 26 March 1983), (formerly styled Sir Anthony Blunt from 1956 until November 1979), was a leading British art historian and a Soviet spy. Blunt was a professor of art history at the University ...

Alan Bush Alan Dudley Bush (22 December 1900 – 31 October 1995) was a British composer, pianist, conductor, teacher and political activist. A committed communist, his uncompromising political beliefs were often reflected in his music. He composed prol ...

, Charles Madge, Alistair Brown,

J.D. Bernal John Desmond Bernal (; 10 May 1901 – 15 September 1971) was an Irish scientist who pioneered the use of X-ray crystallography in molecular biology. He published extensively on the history of science. In addition, Bernal wrote popular boo ...

, T.A. Jackson and Edgell Rickword. After the late 1930s, which were marked by the widespread purges, repression, and executions under

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

in the Soviet Union, Day-Lewis gradually became disillusioned with communism. In his autobiography, ''The Buried Day'' (1960), he renounces former communist views. His detective novel, '' The Sad Variety'' (1964), contains a scathing portrayal of doctrinaire communists, the Soviet Union's repression of the

1956 Hungarian uprising The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 4 November 1956; ), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the policies caused by ...

, and the ruthless tactics of Soviet intelligence agents.

Selected works

Poetry

* ''Transitional Poem'' (1929) * ''From Feathers to Iron'' (1931) * ''Collected Poems 1929–1933'' (1935) * ''A Time to Dance and Other Poems'' (1935) * ''Overtures to Death'' (1938) * ''Word Over All'' (1943) * ''Short Is the Time'' (1945) * ''Selected Poems'' (1951) * ''Walking Away'' (1956) * ''Collected Poems'' (1954) * ''Pegasus and Other Poems'' (1957) * ''The Gate, and Other Poems'' (1962) * ''The Whispering Roots and Other Poems'' (1970) * ''The Complete Poems of C. Day-Lewis'' (1992) * Editor (with L. A. G. Strong): ''A New Anthology of Modern Verse 1920–1940'' (1941) * Editor (with John Lehmann): ''The Chatto Book of Modern Poetry 1915–1955'' (1956)

Essay collections

* ''A Hope for Poetry'' (1934) * ''Poetry for You'' (1944) * ''The Poetic Image'' (1947)

Translations

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...

's ''

Georgics The ''Georgics'' ( ; ) is a poem by Latin poet Virgil, likely published in 29 BCE. As the name suggests (from the Greek language, Greek word , ''geōrgiká'', i.e. "agricultural hings) the subject of the poem is agriculture; but far from bei ...

'' (1940)An extract from this, "Orpheus and Eurydice", appeared in '' The Queen's Book of the Red Cross''. *

Paul Valéry Ambroise Paul Toussaint Jules Valéry (; 30 October 1871 – 20 July 1945) was a French poet, essayist, and philosopher. In addition to his poetry and fiction (drama and dialogues), his interests included aphorisms on art, history, letters, m ...

's ''Le Cimetière Marin'' (1946) *Virgil's ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...

'' (1952) *Virgil's ''

Eclogues The ''Eclogues'' (; , ), also called the ''Bucolics'', is the first of the three major works of the Latin poet Virgil. Background Taking as his generic model the Greek bucolic poetry of Theocritus, Virgil created a Roman version partly by o ...

'' (1963)

Novels written under his own name

Novels

* ''The Friendly Tree'' (1936) * ''Starting Point'' (1937) * ''Child of Misfortune'' (1939)

Novels for children

* Dick Willoughby (1933) * '' The Otterbury Incident'' (1948)

Novels written as Nicholas Blake

Nigel Strangeways

* '' A Question of Proof'' (1935); First US edition by Harper and Brothers (1935) * '' Thou Shell of Death'' (1936; First US edition by Harper and Brothers published as ''Shell of Death'') (1936) * '' There's Trouble Brewing'' (1937) * '' The Beast Must Die'' (1938), adapted for the cinema by

Román Viñoly Barreto Román Viñoly Barreto (8 August 1910 – 20 August 1970) was a Uruguayan-Argentine film director notable for his work during the classical era of Argentine cinema. Biography Viñoly Barreto directed 28 feature films between 1947 and 1966 i ...

in Argentina (1952) and by

Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...

in France (1969), and in Britain in 2021 as '' The Beast Must Die'' television series. * '' The Smiler with the Knife'' (1939). Serialised ''

News Chronicle The ''News Chronicle'' was a British daily newspaper. Formed by the merger of '' The Daily News'' and the '' Daily Chronicle'' in 1930, it ceased publication on 17 October 1960,''Liberal Democrat News'' 15 October 2010, accessed 15 October 2010 b ...

'', 1939 * ''Malice in Wonderland'' (1940; also published as ''Murder with Malice''. U.S. title: ''The Summer Camp Mystery'') * '' The Case of the Abominable Snowman'' (1941; also published as ''The Corpse in the Snowman'') * '' Minute for Murder'' (1947) * '' Head of a Traveller'' (1949) * '' The Dreadful Hollow'' (1953) * '' The Whisper in the Gloom'' (1954; also published as ''Catch and Kill'') * '' End of Chapter'' (1957) * '' The Widow's Cruise'' (1959) * '' The Worm of Death'' (1961) * '' The Sad Variety'' (1964) * '' The Morning after Death'' (1966)

Non-series novels

* '' A Tangled Web'' (1956; also published as ''Death and Daisy Bland'') * '' A Penknife in My Heart'' (1958) * '' The Deadly Joker'' (1963) * '' The Private Wound'' (1968)

Short stories

* "A Slice of Bad Luck" (''

The Bystander ''The Bystander'' was a British weekly tabloid magazine including reviews, topical drawings, cartoons and short stories. Published from Fleet Street, it was started in 1903 by George Holt Thomas. Its first editor, William Comyns Beaumont, late ...

'', 1 December 1935. Reprinted in ''Detection Medley'', ed. John Rhode utchinson, 1939 Also published as "The Assassin's Club". Reprinted in ''Murder by the Book'', ed. Martin Edwards, 2021) * "Mr Prendergast and the Orange" (''Sunday Dispatch'', 27 March 1938. Reprinted in ''Bodies from the Library'', Volume 3, ed. Tony Medawar 020 Also published as "Conscience Money".) * "It Fell to Earth" (''

The Strand Magazine ''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...

'', June 1944. Also published as "Long Shot". Reprinted in ''Murder at the Manor'', ed. Martin Edwards, 2016) * "The Snow Line" (''The Strand Magazine'', February 1949. Also published as "A Study in White" and "A Problem in White". Reprinted in ''Silent Night'', ed. Martin Edwards, 2015) * "Sometimes the Blind See the Clearest" (''

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 ...

'', 18 March 1963. Also published as "Sometimes the Blind". Reprinted in ''The Long Arm of the Law'', ed. Martin Edwards, 2017)

Radio plays

* ''Calling James Braithwaite''. BBC Home Service, 20 and 22 July 1940. (Published in ''Bodies from the Library'', Volume 1, edited by Tony Medawar 018)

Autobiography

* ''The Buried Day'' (1960)

Bibliography

*Sean Day-Lewis, ''Cecil Day-Lewis: An English Literary Life'' (1980) *Peter Stanford, ''C. Day-Lewis: A Life'' (2007
review

Notes

External links

* *
Day-Lewis's poem '"Newsreel" read over footage from 1930s Pathe newsreels''C. Day Lewis, A Revised Bibliography, 1929–39 and Index of MSS Locations with Introductory Notes''
by Nick Watson, (a 65-page booklet, Radged Press, 2003)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daylewis, Cecil 1904 births Anglo-Irish people Irish emigrants to the United Kingdom Irish people of English descent People from Stradbally People educated at Sherborne School Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford Harvard University faculty Academics of the University of Cambridge Oxford Professors of Poetry Academics of Gresham College British poets laureate Formalist poets 20th-century Irish poets English mystery writers Members of the Detection Club Irish mystery writers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Communist Party of Great Britain members 20th-century Irish novelists 20th-century Irish male writers Irish male novelists 20th-century English poets Irish male poets 1972 deaths Deaths from pancreatic cancer in England Burials in Dorset Translators of Virgil British Home Guard soldiers 20th-century pseudonymous writers Day-Lewis family Writers from County Laois Writers of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction