Derek Stanford
Encyclopedia
Derek Stanford FRSL (1918–2008) was a British
writer, known as a biographer, essayist and poet. He was educated at Upper Latymer School, Hammersmith
, London
.
As a conscientious objector
during World War II
he served in the Non-combatant Corps. He edited Resistance, a poetry magazine of just one issue, with David West in 1946.
For a period in the early 1950s he worked with Muriel Spark
on several books, and was a supporter of hers (together with the poetic eccentric Hugo Manning, a long-term friend), in the Poetry Society
. Stanford described Spark's ousting in Inside the Forties. Spark convinced him of the talent of Dylan Thomas
, and Stanford wrote an early book on Thomas shortly after his death.
He died on 19 December 2008 in Brighton
. His widow is the poet Julie Whitby.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer, known as a biographer, essayist and poet. He was educated at Upper Latymer School, Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
As a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
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...
he served in the Non-combatant Corps. He edited Resistance, a poetry magazine of just one issue, with David West in 1946.
For a period in the early 1950s he worked with Muriel Spark
Muriel Spark
Dame Muriel Spark, DBE was an award-winning Scottish novelist. In 2008 The Times newspaper named Spark in its list of "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Early life:...
on several books, and was a supporter of hers (together with the poetic eccentric Hugo Manning, a long-term friend), in the Poetry Society
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 in 1912...
. Stanford described Spark's ousting in Inside the Forties. Spark convinced him of the talent of Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
, and Stanford wrote an early book on Thomas shortly after his death.
He died on 19 December 2008 in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. His widow is the poet Julie Whitby.
Works
- A Romantic Miscellany (1946) editor with John BaylissJohn BaylissJohn Bayliss was a British poet and significant literary editor of the World War II period; later in life a civil servant. He was born in Gloucestershire, and was an undergraduate at St Catharine's College, Cambridge...
- The Freedom of Poetry: Studies in Contemporary Verse (1947)
- Music for Statues (1948)
- Tribute to Wordsworth: A Miscellany of Opinion for the Centenary of the Poet's Death (1950) editor with Muriel SparkMuriel SparkDame Muriel Spark, DBE was an award-winning Scottish novelist. In 2008 The Times newspaper named Spark in its list of "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Early life:...
- Christopher FryChristopher FryChristopher Fry was an English playwright. He is best known for his verse dramas, notably The Lady's Not for Burning, which made him a major force in theatre in the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life:...
: An Appreciation (1951) - Christopher Fry Album (1952
- Emily BrontëEmily BrontëEmily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
: her life and work (1953) with Muriel Spark - My Best Mary (letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley) (1953) editor with Muriel Spark
- Dylan ThomasDylan ThomasDylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
: a literary study (1954) - Letters of John Henry Newman (1957) editor with Muriel Spark
- Fenelon's Letters to Men and Women (1957) editor
- Anne BrontëAnne BrontëAnne Brontë was a British novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family.The daughter of a poor Irish clergyman in the Church of England, Anne Brontë lived most of her life with her family at the parish of Haworth on the Yorkshire moors. For a couple of years she went to a...
: Her Life And Work (1959) with Ada Harrison - John BetjemanJohn BetjemanSir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
- A Study (1961) - Muriel Spark: a Biographical and Critical Study (1963)
- Concealment and Revelation in T. S. EliotT. S. EliotThomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
(1965) - Poets of the 'Nineties. A Biographical Anthology (1965)
- Prose of the Century (1966)
- The Body Of Love: An Anthology of Erotic Verse from Chaucer to Lawrence (1966) editor
- Aubrey BeardsleyAubrey BeardsleyAubrey Vincent Beardsley was an English illustrator and author. His drawings, done in black ink and influenced by the style of Japanese woodcuts, emphasized the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He was a leading figure in the Aesthetic movement which also included Oscar Wilde and James A....
's Erotic Universe (1967) - Short Stories of the 'Nineties: A Biographical Anthology (1968) editor
- Movements in English poetry, 1900-1958 (1969)
- Stephen SpenderStephen SpenderSir Stephen Harold Spender CBE was an English poet, novelist and essayist who concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle in his work...
, Louis MacNeiceLouis MacNeiceFrederick Louis MacNeice CBE was an Irish poet and playwright. He was part of the generation of "thirties poets" which included W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender and Cecil Day-Lewis; nicknamed "MacSpaunday" as a group — a name invented by Roy Campbell, in his Talking Bronco...
, Cecil Day Lewis: a critical essay (1969) - Critics of the 'Nineties (1970)
- Writing of the 'Nineties: From WildeWilde-In academia:* Henry Wilde , British engineer and inventor of the self-energizing dynamo* Winston Wilde, American sexologist-In the arts:* Andrew Wilde , English classical pianist* Andrew Wilde , English actor...
to Beerbohm (1971) - Pre-Raphaelite Writing (1973) editor
- Three Poets of the Rhymers Club: Ernest DowsonErnest DowsonErnest Christopher Dowson , born in Lee, London, was an English poet, novelist and writer of short stories, associated with the Decadent movement.- Biography :...
, Lionel JohnsonLionel JohnsonLionel Pigot Johnson was an English poet, essayist and critic. He was born at Broadstairs, and educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford, graduating in 1890. He became a Catholic convert in 1891. He lived a solitary life in London, struggling with alcoholism and his repressed...
, John DavidsonJohn Davidson (poet)John Davidson was a Scottish poet, playwright and novelist, best known for his ballads. He also did translations from French and German...
(1974) - Inside the Forties: literary memoirs, 1937-1957 (1977)
- The Memorare Sequence (1997)
- The Weather Within (1978)
- The Traveller Hears the Strange Machine: Selected Poems 1946-1979 (1980)
- The Vision and Death of Aubrey Beardsley (1985)
External links
- Obituary by James FergussonJames FergussonJames Fergusson may refer to:*Sir James Fergusson, 2nd Baronet , Scottish politician and judge*Sir James Fergusson, 4th Baronet *Sir James Fergusson , Governor of Gibraltar from 1855 to 1859...
in The Independent