Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (; 21 November 186312 May 1944) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

writer who published using the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Q. Although a prolific novelist, he is remembered mainly for the monumental publication '' The Oxford Book of English Verse 1250–1900'' (later extended to 1918) and for his

literary criticism A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature's ...

. He influenced many who never met him, including American writer

Helene Hanff Helene Hanff (April 15, 1916April 9, 1997) was an American writer born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is best known as the author of the book ''84, Charing Cross Road'', which became the basis for a stage play, television play, and 84 Charin ...

, author of ''

84, Charing Cross Road ''84, Charing Cross Road'' is a 1970 book by Helene Hanff. It is an epistolary memoir composed of letters from the twenty-year correspondence between the author and Frank Doel, chief buyer for Marks & Co antiquarian booksellers, located at t ...

'' and its sequel, ''Q's Legacy''. His ''The Oxford Book of English Verse'' was a favourite of

John Mortimer Sir John Clifford Mortimer (21 April 1923 – 16 January 2009) was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author. He is best known for short stories about a barrister named Horace Rumpole, adapted from episodes of the TV series '' R ...

fictional character

Horace Rumpole ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, of ...

Life

Memorial to Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch in Truro Cathedral

Arthur Quiller-Couch was born in the town of

Bodmin Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordered ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

. He was the son of DrThomas Quiller Couch (d.1884), who was a noted physician, folklorist and historian who married Mary Ford and lived at 63, Fore Street, Bodmin, until his death in 1884. Thomas was the product of the union of two ancient local families, the Quiller family and the Couch family. Arthur was the third in a line of intellectuals from the Couch family. His grandfather,

Jonathan Couch Jonathan Couch (15 March 1789 – 13 April 1870) was a British naturalist, the only child of Richard and Philippa Couch, of a family long resident at Polperro, a small fishing village between Looe and Fowey, on the south coast of Cornwall. A ...

, was a naturalist, physician, historian, classicist, apothecary, and illustrator (particularly of fish). His younger sisters Florence Mabel and Lilian M. were also writers and folklorists. Arthur Quiller-Couch had two children. His son, Bevil Brian Quiller-Couch, was a war hero and poet, whose romantic letters to his fiancée, the poet May Wedderburn Cannan, were published in ''Tears of War''.

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer. He is best remembered for the classic of children's literature ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908). Born in Scotland, he spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in ...

inscribed a first edition of his ''

The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and get ...

'' to Arthur's daughter, Foy Felicia, attributing Quiller-Couch as the inspiration for the character Ratty. Quiller-Couch was educated at

Newton Abbot Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge, Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its population was 24,029 in 2011, and was estimated at 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in ...

Proprietary College between the late 1870's and early 1880's. Thereafter, he also attended

Clifton College Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...

, and

Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...

, where he took a First in

Classical Moderations Honour Moderations (or ''Mods'') are a set of examinations at the University of Oxford at the end of the first part of some degree courses (e.g., Greats or '' Literae Humaniores''). Honour Moderations candidates have a class awarded (hence the ...

(1884) and a Second in Greats (1886). From 1886, Quiller-Couch worked for a brief time as a

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

at Trinity. Thereafter, having gained some journalistic experience in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, mainly as a contributor to ''The Speaker'', he resettled at

Fowey Fowey ( ; , meaning ''beech trees'') is a port town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town has been in existence since well before the Norman invasion, ...

in Cornwall during 1891. In Cornwall he was an active political worker for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

. He was knighted in 1910, and in 1928 was made a

Bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's a ...

of the Cornish cultural society

Gorseth Kernow Gorsedh Kernow (Cornish Gorsedd) is a non-political Cornish organisation, based in Cornwall, United Kingdom, which exists to maintain the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall. It is based on the Welsh-based Gorsedd, which was founded by Iolo Mo ...

, adopting the

Bardic name A bardic name (, ) is a pseudonym used in Wales, Cornwall, or Brittany by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement. The Welsh language, Welsh term bardd ('poet') originally referred to the Welsh poets of the M ...

''Marghak Cough'' ('Red Knight'). He was Commodore of the Royal Fowey Yacht Club from 1911 until his death. He was president of the

Village Drama Society The Village Drama Society was founded in 1919 by Mary Kelly in the village of Kelly in Devon, England. Its purpose was to promote the production of plays in villages, develop the arts in country areas, encourage playwrighting and offer the opp ...

which was based at Kelly House in Devon. Quiller-Couch died at home in May 1944 aged 80, after being slightly injured by a

jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...

near his home in Cornwall in the preceding March during his daily walk to the Royal Fowey Yacht Club.

World War I

The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry 10th Btn. (Cornwall Pioneers) was an unusual battalion, having been raised in March 1915, not by the War Office, but by the Mayor and citizens of Truro. It initially had only two officers – Colonel Dudley Acland Mills, who had retired from the Royal Engineers six years earlier, and Quiller-Couch, who was devoid of any military experience. Neither of them was paid. They raised and trained a battalion, which was taken over by the War Office on 24 August 1915.

Literary and academic career

In 1887, while he was attending Oxford, he published ''Dead Man's Rock'', a romance in the style of Robert Louis Stevenson's ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure a ...

'', and later ''The Astonishing History of Troy Town'' (1888), a comic novel set in a fictionalised version of his home town of Fowey, and ''The Splendid Spur'' (1889). Quiller-Couch was well known for his story "The Rollcall of the Reef", based on the wreck of HMS ''Primrose'' during 1809 on the Cornish coast. He published during 1896 a series of critical articles, ''Adventures in Criticism'', and in 1898 he published a completion of Robert Louis Stevenson's unfinished novel, '' St. Ives''. From his Oxford time he was known as a writer of excellent verse. With the exception of the parodies entitled ''Green Bays'' (1893), his poetical work is contained in ''Poems and Ballads'' (1896). In 1895 he published an

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

from the 16th- and 17th-century English lyricists, ''The Golden Pomp'', followed in 1900 by the '' Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250–1900''. Later editions of this extended the period of concern to 1918 and it remained the leading general anthology of English verse until Helen Gardner's ''New Oxford Book of English Verse'' appeared in 1972. In 1910 he published ''The Sleeping Beauty and other Fairy Tales from the Old French''. He was the author of a number of popular novels with Cornish settings (collected edition as 'Tales and Romances', 30 vols. 1928–29). He was appointed King Edward VII Professor of English Literature at the

University of Cambridge 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 ...

in 1912, and retained the chair for the rest of his life. Simultaneously he was elected to a Fellowship of Jesus College, which he also held until his death. His inaugural lectures as the professor of English literature were published as the book ''On the Art of Writing''. His rooms were on staircase C, First Court, and known as the 'Q-bicle'. He supervised the beginnings of the English Faculty there — an academic diplomat in a fractious community. He is sometimes regarded as the epitome of the school of English literary criticism later modified by his pupil F. R. Leavis.

Terry Eagleton Terence Francis Eagleton (born 22 February 1943) is an English literary theorist, critic, and public intellectual. He is currently Distinguished Professor of English Literature at Lancaster University. Eagleton has published over forty books, ...

contrasts the "patrician dilettantes" and "devotees of Sir Arthur Quiller Couch" ic, no hyphen with the "offspring of the provincial bourgeoisie" ... "entering the traditional universities for the first time". The Leavisites, says Eagleton, had not "suffered the crippling disadvantages of a purely literary education of the Quiller Couch kind".

Alistair Cooke Alistair Cooke, Order of the British Empire, KBE (né Alfred Cooke; 20 November 1908 – 30 March 2004) was a British-American writer whose work as a journalist, television personality and radio broadcaster was done primarily in the Unite ...

was a notable student of Quiller-Couch and Nick Clarke's semi-official biography of Cooke features Quiller-Couch prominently, noting that he was regarded by the Cambridge establishment as "rather eccentric" even by the university's standards. Quiller-Couch was a noted literary critic, publishing editions of some of Shakespeare's plays (in the ''New Shakespeare'', published by

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

, with Dover Wilson) and several critical works, including ''Studies in Literature'' (1918) and ''On the Art of Reading'' (1920). He edited a companion to his verse anthology: ''The Oxford Book of English Prose'', which was published in 1923. He left his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, ''Memories and Opinions'', unfinished; it was nevertheless published in 1945.

Legacy

His ''Book of English Verse'' is often quoted by John Mortimer's fictional character

. '' Castle Dor'', a re-telling of the

Tristan and Iseult Tristan and Iseult, also known as Tristan and Isolde and other names, is a medieval chivalric romance told in numerous variations since the 12th century. Of disputed source, usually assumed to be primarily Celtic nations, Celtic, the tale is a ...

myth in modern circumstances, was left unfinished at Quiller-Couch's death and was completed many years later by

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Gerald du Maurier, Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her gra ...

. As she wrote in the ''

Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, first published on 5 February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegr ...

'' in April 1962, she began the job with considerable trepidation, at the request of Quiller-Couch's daughter and "in memory of happy evenings long ago when 'Q' was host at Sunday supper". He features as a main character, played by

Leo McKern Reginald "Leo" McKern (16 March 1920 – 23 July 2002) was an Australian actor who appeared in numerous British, Australian and American television programmes and films, and in more than 200 stage roles. His notable roles include Clang in ...

, in the 1992 BBC television feature ''The Last Romantics''. The story focuses on his relationship with his protégé, F. R. Leavis, and the students. His Cambridge inaugural lecture series, published as ''On the Art of Writing'', is the source of the popular writers' adage "murder your darlings":

Works

Fiction

* ''Dead Man's Rock'' (1887) * ''The Astonishing History of Troy Town'' (1888) * ''The Splendid Spur'' (1889) * ''The Blue Pavilions'' (1891) * ''The Delectable Duchy: Stories, Studies and Sketches'' (1893) * ''I Saw Three Ships and Other Winter's Tales (1893) * ''Wandering Heath: Stories, Studies, and Sketches'' (1895) * ''Ia, A Love Story'' (1896) * ''St Ives'' (1898), completing an unfinished novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. * ''Noughts and Crosses: Stories, Studies and Sketches'' (1898) * ''The Ship of Stars'' (1899) * ''A Fowey Garland'' (1899) * ''Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts'' (1900) * ''The Laird's Luck and Other Fireside Tales'' (1901) * ''The Westcotes'' (1902) * ''The White Wolf and Other Fireside Tales'' (1902) * ''Hetty Wesley'' (1903) (This was based on the life of the poet

Mehetabel Wesley Wright Mehetabel Wesley Wright (nicknames "Hetty" and "Kitty"; 1697 – 21 March 1750) was an English poet. She was a member of the influential religious Wesley family. Early life Born in Epworth, Lincolnshire, Wright was the daughter of Samuel Wesl ...

.) * ''The Adventures of Harry Revel'' (1903) * ''Fort Amity'' (1904) * ''The Shining Ferry'' (1905) * ''Shakespeare's Christmas and Other Stories'' (1905) * ''The Mayor of Troy'' (1906) * ''Sir John Constantine'' (1906) * ''Merry Garden and Other Stories'' (1907) * ''Poison Island'' (1907) * ''Major Vigoureux'' (1907) * ''True Tilda'' (1909) * ''Corporal Sam and Other Stories'' (1910) * ''Lady Good-for-Nothing: A Man's Portrait of a Woman'' (1910) *''Brother Copas'' (1911) *''Hocken and Hunken: A Tale of Troy'' (1912) * ''My Best Book'' (1912) *''News from the Duchy'' (1913) *''Nicky-Nan, Reservist'' (1915) *''Mortallone and Aunt Trinidad: Tales of the Spanish Main'' (1917) *''Foe-Farrell: A Romance'' (1918) *''Castle Dor'' (1962) This novel was left unfinished at his death, and completed by

Daphne Du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Gerald du Maurier, Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her gra ...

. A collected edition of Q's fiction appeared as ''Tales and Romances'' (30 volumes, 1928–29).

Verse

* ''Green Bays, Verses and Parodies'' (1893) * ''Poems and Ballads'' (1896) * ''The Vigil of Venus and Other Poems'' (1912)

Criticism and anthologies

* ''The Golden Pomp'', a procession of English lyrics from Surrey to Shirley (1895) * ''Adventures in Criticism'' (1896; 2nd edition, 1924) * '' Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250–1900'' (1900) * ''From a Cornish Window'' (1906) * ''English Sonnets'' (Published in 1897, reprinted in 1910) * ''The Sleeping Beauty and other Fairy Tales from the Old French'' (1910) * ''The Oxford Book of Ballads'' (1911) * ''In Powder and Crinoline: Old Fairy Tales Retold'' (1913) * ''On the Art of Writing'' (1916) * ''Notes on Shakespeare's Workmanship'' (1917) * ''Studies in Literature: First Series'' (1918) * ''On the Art of Reading'' (1920) * ''The Oxford Book of Victorian Verse'' (1922) * ''Studies in Literature: Second Series'' (1922) * ''Oxford Book of English Prose'' (1923) * ''Studies in Literature: Third Series'' (1929) * ''The Poet As Citizen and Other papers'' (Macmillan, 1935) * ''Cambridge Lectures'' (1943; 2nd ed. 1944)

Autobiography

* ''Memories and Opinions'' (unfinished, published 1945)

References

Sources

* Brittain, Frederick, ''Arthur Quiller-Couch, a Biographical Study of Q'' (Cambridge: University Press, 1947) * Quiller-Couch, A. T., ''Memories and Opinions'' (Unfinished; it was nevertheless published in 1945 though only the years up to 1887 are covered.) *

Rowse, A. L. Alfred Leslie Rowse (4 December 1903 – 3 October 1997) was a British historian and writer, best known for his work on Elizabethan England and books relating to Cornwall. Born in Cornwall and raised in modest circumstances, he was encourag ...

, ''Quiller-Couch: a Portrait of "Q"'' (1988) *

External links

* * * * * *
On the Art of Writing
*
The Warwickshire Avon by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch
New York : Harper & Bros. *
'Quiller-Couch Family Papers'
at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.
'Quiller-Couch'
dedicated website *
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch's ''The Legend of Sir Dinar'' audiobook with video at YouTubeSir Arthur Quiller-Couch's ''The Legend of Sir Dinar'' audiobook at Libsyn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quillercouch, Arthur 1863 births 1944 deaths Academics of the University of Cambridge Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford British anthologists Bards of Gorsedh Kernow British literary critics Burials in Cornwall Novelists from Cornwall Poets from Cornwall Fellows of Jesus College, Cambridge Knights Bachelor People educated at Clifton College People from Bodmin Road incident deaths in England Writers of style guides People from Fowey King Edward VII Professors of English Literature