Charles Langbridge Morgan
Encyclopedia
Charles Langbridge Morgan (22 January 1894 – 6 February 1958), was an English-born playwright
and novelist of English and Welsh
parentage. The main themes of his work were, as he himself put it, "Art, Love, and Death", and the relation between them. Themes of individual novels range from the paradoxes of freedom (The Voyage, The River Line), through passionate love seen from within (Portrait in a Mirror) and without (A Breeze of Morning), to the conflict of good and evil (The Judge's Story) and the enchanted boundary of death (Sparkenbroke).
from Pembrokeshire
. His paternal grandparents were from Gloucestershire and Devon in England. His parents were married in Australia. His father, Sir Charles Langbridge Morgan
was a railway civil engineer, and at one time was President of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Morgan himself was born in Bromley, Kent. He was educated at the Naval Colleges of Osborne and Dartmouth and served as a midshipman
in the China Fleet until 1913, when he returned to England to take the entrance examinations for Oxford. On the outbreak of war he rejoined the navy but was sent with Churchill's Naval Division to the defence of Antwerp. He was interned in Holland which provided the setting for his best-selling novel The Fountain.
Some of his early poems were published in the Westminster Gazette
. "To America" (1917) was included in A Treasury of World Poetry, edited by George Herbert Clarke. After World War I
, he took his degree at Brasenose College, Oxford
.
, he married the Welsh novelist Hilda Vaughan
in 1923. They had two children: Dame Shirley Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey
, and Roger Morgan, who became Librarian of the House of Lords
. He was the drama critic of The Times
from the 1920s until 1938, and contributed weekly articles on the London theatre to the New York Times. He wrote a series of articles for the Times Literary Supplement under the byline "Menander's Mirror" from 1942, and many articles for the Sunday Times.
His first play, The Flashing Stream (1938), had successful runs in London and Paris but was not well received in New York. The River Line (1952) was originally written as a novel in 1949 and concerned the activities of escaped British prisoners of war in France
during World War II
.
in 1949. From 1953 he was the president of International PEN
.
While Morgan enjoyed an immense reputation during his lifetime and was awarded the 1940 James Tait Black Memorial Prize
for fiction, he was sometimes criticised for excessive seriousness, and for some time rather neglected; he once claimed that the "sense of humour by which we are ruled avoids emotion and vision and grandeur of spirit as a weevil avoids the sun. It has banished tragedy from our theatre, eloquence from our debates, glory from our years of peace, splendour from our wars..." The character Gerard Challis in Stella Gibbons
's Westwood is thought to be a caricature of him. His posthumous reputation was initially higher in France than in Britain , but has begun a new rise in recent years with the republication of various novels (including Capuchin Classics' The Voyage with an Introduction by Oxford's Valentine Cunningham in 2009), his poetry (edited by Peter Holland for Scarthin Books in 2008) and the forthcoming re-edition of his plays, planned by Oberon Books for 2012. He was a consummate and committed stylist, from newspaper reviews to major novels a passionate craftsman of English prose.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and novelist of English and Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
parentage. The main themes of his work were, as he himself put it, "Art, Love, and Death", and the relation between them. Themes of individual novels range from the paradoxes of freedom (The Voyage, The River Line), through passionate love seen from within (Portrait in a Mirror) and without (A Breeze of Morning), to the conflict of good and evil (The Judge's Story) and the enchanted boundary of death (Sparkenbroke).
Early life
His maternal grandparents had emigrated to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
. His paternal grandparents were from Gloucestershire and Devon in England. His parents were married in Australia. His father, Sir Charles Langbridge Morgan
Charles Langbridge Morgan (engineer)
Sir Charles Langbridge Morgan CBE was a British civil engineer.Morgan was born in 1855 in Worcester, England. He married Mary Watkins in Australia to which her parents had emigrated. Their son, also called Charles Langbridge Morgan, was a playwright and novelist...
was a railway civil engineer, and at one time was President of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Morgan himself was born in Bromley, Kent. He was educated at the Naval Colleges of Osborne and Dartmouth and served as a midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
in the China Fleet until 1913, when he returned to England to take the entrance examinations for Oxford. On the outbreak of war he rejoined the navy but was sent with Churchill's Naval Division to the defence of Antwerp. He was interned in Holland which provided the setting for his best-selling novel The Fountain.
Some of his early poems were published in the Westminster Gazette
Westminster Gazette
The Westminster Gazette was an influential Liberal newspaper based in London. It was known for publishing sketches and short stories, including early works by Raymond Chandler, Anthony Hope and Saki, and travel writing by Rupert Brooke. One of its editors was caricaturist and political cartoonist...
. "To America" (1917) was included in A Treasury of World Poetry, edited by George Herbert Clarke. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he took his degree at Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
.
Family relationships; journalism and drama
After an unsuccessful relationship with Mary, a daughter of Alfred Mond, 1st Baron MelchettAlfred Mond, 1st Baron Melchett
Alfred Moritz Mond, 1st Baron Melchett PC, FRS , known as Sir Alfred Mond, Bt, between 1910 and 1928, was a British industrialist, financier and politician...
, he married the Welsh novelist Hilda Vaughan
Hilda Vaughan
Hilda Campbell Vaughan was a Welsh poet, novelist and short story writer.She was born in Builth Wells, the daughter of a solicitor. In 1923 she married the novelist Charles Langbridge Morgan, and they had two children...
in 1923. They had two children: Dame Shirley Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey
Shirley Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey
Elizabeth Shirley Vaughan Morgan, Marchioness of Anglesey, DBE, CBE, LVO Elizabeth Shirley Vaughan Morgan, Marchioness of Anglesey, DBE, CBE, LVO Elizabeth Shirley Vaughan Morgan, Marchioness of Anglesey, DBE, CBE, LVO (born 4 December 1924, better known as Dame Shirley Paget, is a writer and the...
, and Roger Morgan, who became Librarian of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. He was the drama critic of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
from the 1920s until 1938, and contributed weekly articles on the London theatre to the New York Times. He wrote a series of articles for the Times Literary Supplement under the byline "Menander's Mirror" from 1942, and many articles for the Sunday Times.
His first play, The Flashing Stream (1938), had successful runs in London and Paris but was not well received in New York. The River Line (1952) was originally written as a novel in 1949 and concerned the activities of escaped British prisoners of war in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Honours and reputation
He was awarded the French Legion of Honour in 1936, a promotion in 1945, and was elected a member of the Institut de FranceInstitut de France
The Institut de France is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is the Académie française.The institute, located in Paris, manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and chateaux open for visit. It also awards prizes and subsidies, which...
in 1949. From 1953 he was the president of International PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
.
While Morgan enjoyed an immense reputation during his lifetime and was awarded the 1940 James Tait Black Memorial Prize
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
Founded in 1919, the James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are among the oldest and most prestigious book prizes awarded for literature written in the English language and are Britain's oldest literary awards...
for fiction, he was sometimes criticised for excessive seriousness, and for some time rather neglected; he once claimed that the "sense of humour by which we are ruled avoids emotion and vision and grandeur of spirit as a weevil avoids the sun. It has banished tragedy from our theatre, eloquence from our debates, glory from our years of peace, splendour from our wars..." The character Gerard Challis in Stella Gibbons
Stella Gibbons
Stella Dorothea Gibbons was an English novelist, journalist, poet, and short-story writer.Her first novel, Cold Comfort Farm, won the Femina Vie Heureuse Prize for 1933...
's Westwood is thought to be a caricature of him. His posthumous reputation was initially higher in France than in Britain , but has begun a new rise in recent years with the republication of various novels (including Capuchin Classics' The Voyage with an Introduction by Oxford's Valentine Cunningham in 2009), his poetry (edited by Peter Holland for Scarthin Books in 2008) and the forthcoming re-edition of his plays, planned by Oberon Books for 2012. He was a consummate and committed stylist, from newspaper reviews to major novels a passionate craftsman of English prose.
Novels
- The Gunroom (1919)
- My Name is Legion (1925)
- Portrait in a Mirror (1929)
- The Fountain (1932)
- Sparkenbroke (1936)
- The Voyage (1940)
- The Empty Room (1941)
- The Judge's Story (1947)
- The River Line (1949)
- A Breeze of Morning (1951)
- Challenge to Venus (1957)
Essays
- Epitaph on George Moore (1935)
- The House of Macmillan: (1843-1943) (1943)
- Reflections in a Mirror (in two volumes 1944, 1946)
- Liberties of the Mind (1951)
- The Writer and his World (1960)
Quotations
- "One cannot shut one's eyes to things not seen with eyes."
- "There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved. It is God's finger on man's shoulder."
- "...there are moments, above all on spring evenings, when the lakes that hold our moons are sucked into the earth and nothing is left but wine and the touch of a hand." (A Breeze of Morning, ch. 11, p. 70)
Secondary Titles
- De Pange, Victor, Morgan, Classiques du XXe siècle (Paris: Editions universitaires, 1962)
- Duffin, Henry Charles, The Novels and Plays of Charles Morgan. (London: Bowes and Bowes, 1959)
- Lewis, Eiluned (ed.), Selected Letters of Charles Morgan (London/Melbourne: Macmillan, 1967)
External links
- Charles Morgan website
- Photograph of a scene from original production of The River Line. Paul ScofieldPaul ScofieldDavid Paul Scofield, CH, CBE , better known as Paul Scofield, was an English actor of stage and screen...
is on the far right.
