Kenneth Allott
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Allott was an Anglo-Irish
poet and academic, and authority on Matthew Arnold
.
, where his father, a doctor, was serving as a locum
, Allott later experienced the break-up of his parents' marriage, followed by the death of his mother. After she died he and his brother Guy were adopted by their Irish aunts on Tyneside
, and from the age of 14 attended St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic Grammar School in Newcastle on Tyne. There he became known as 'Speedy', because he spoke so quickly. Despite the fact that the VI Form then taught only science for Higher School Certificate
, he studied English and Latin
on his own at the back of the class. In 1934, he got a first at Armstrong College
, Durham University
, in Newcastle. This was followed by post-graduate research at Oxford University.
Subsequently, Allott began working as a reviewer for the Morning Post
and with Geoffrey Grigson
on New Verse,to which he was a regular contributor. He also worked as an observer for Charles Madge
's social survey group Mass Observation. In 1942 Allott, a conscientious objector
, moved with his family to Gateshead
for a year as an extramural lecturer.
Allott is the author of a biography of Jules Verne
and two collections of poems(see works below),a critical edition of William Habbington's poems,and a play adapted from EM Forster's novel A Room with A View.
He held a position at Liverpool University from 1948 until his death in 1973 when he was the Kenneth Muir Professor of English.
),and The Ventriloquist's Doll (1943, Cresset Press. Perhaps his best-known poem was 'Lament for a Cricket Eleven'. He was regarded by many as one of the most promising poets of the day; Francis Scarfe
devoted a whole chapter to him in Auden and After.
Allott became general editor of the five-volume Pelican Book of English Prose (1956) and of the Oxford History of English Literature. His familiar yellow anthology The Penguin Book of Contemporary Verse (1950; revised and enlarged 1962) was used widely in colleges. Inspector Wexford
has been seen reading it on television.
Allott published Selected poems of Winthrop Mackworth Praed
(1953);
Five Uncollected Essays of Matthew Arnold (1953); and The Poems of Matthew Arnold (1965).
Allott's Collected Poems was published posthumously in 1975. He was a witty and popular lecturer, with a great affection for cats. He also smoked heavily, believing wrongly that an earlier bout of tuberculosis would confer protection. He did in fact die of lung cancer.
A new revised and expanded edition of Allott's Collected Poems, edited, introduced and annotated by Michael Murphy
, was published in 2008.
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
poet and academic, and authority on Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold was a British poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the famed headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, literary professor, and William Delafield Arnold, novelist and colonial administrator...
.
Life
Born in GlamorganGlamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
, where his father, a doctor, was serving as a locum
Locum
Locum, short for the Latin phrase locum tenens , is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another. For example, a locum doctor is a doctor who works in the place of the regular doctor when that doctor is absent, or when a hospital/practice is short-staffed...
, Allott later experienced the break-up of his parents' marriage, followed by the death of his mother. After she died he and his brother Guy were adopted by their Irish aunts on Tyneside
Tyneside
Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...
, and from the age of 14 attended St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic Grammar School in Newcastle on Tyne. There he became known as 'Speedy', because he spoke so quickly. Despite the fact that the VI Form then taught only science for Higher School Certificate
Higher School Certificate (UK)
The Higher School Certificate was a United Kingdom educational attainment standard qualification, established in 1918 by the Secondary Schools Examination Council . The Higher School Certificate Examination was usually taken at age 18, or two years after the School Certificate. It was abolished...
, he studied English and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
on his own at the back of the class. In 1934, he got a first at Armstrong College
Armstrong College
Armstrong College may refer to:* Armstrong Atlantic State University, formerly known as Armstrong College* Armstrong College, a former college of Durham University* Armstrong College, a former college in Berkeley, California...
, Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
, in Newcastle. This was followed by post-graduate research at Oxford University.
Subsequently, Allott began working as a reviewer for the Morning Post
Morning Post
The Morning Post, as the paper was named on its masthead, was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by The Daily Telegraph.- History :...
and with Geoffrey Grigson
Geoffrey Grigson
Geoffrey Edward Harvey Grigson was a British writer. He was born in Pelynt, a village near Looe in Cornwall.-Life:...
on New Verse,to which he was a regular contributor. He also worked as an observer for Charles Madge
Charles Madge
Charles Madge , was an English poet, journalist and sociologist, now most remembered as a founder of Mass-Observation.As a sociologist, he co-founded Mass-Observation with Tom Harrisson in 1937, an endeavour which would occupy more of his time than literature...
's social survey group Mass Observation. In 1942 Allott, 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....
, moved with his family to Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
for a year as an extramural lecturer.
Allott is the author of a biography of Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
and two collections of poems(see works below),a critical edition of William Habbington's poems,and a play adapted from EM Forster's novel A Room with A View.
He held a position at Liverpool University from 1948 until his death in 1973 when he was the Kenneth Muir Professor of English.
Works
His poetry had been published in Poems (1938, Hogarth PressHogarth Press
The Hogarth Press was founded in 1917 by Leonard Woolf and Virginia Woolf. It was named after their house in Richmond, in which they began hand-printing books....
),and The Ventriloquist's Doll (1943, Cresset Press. Perhaps his best-known poem was 'Lament for a Cricket Eleven'. He was regarded by many as one of the most promising poets of the day; Francis Scarfe
Francis Scarfe
Francis Scarfe was an English poet, critic and novelist, who became an academic, translator and Director of the British Institute in Paris....
devoted a whole chapter to him in Auden and After.
Allott became general editor of the five-volume Pelican Book of English Prose (1956) and of the Oxford History of English Literature. His familiar yellow anthology The Penguin Book of Contemporary Verse (1950; revised and enlarged 1962) was used widely in colleges. Inspector Wexford
Inspector Wexford
Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford is a recurring character in a series of detective novels by English crime writer Ruth Rendell. He made his first appearance in the author's 1964 debut From Doon With Death, and has since been the protagonist of 20 more stories; his latest outing was the 2009...
has been seen reading it on television.
Allott published Selected poems of Winthrop Mackworth Praed
Winthrop Mackworth Praed
Winthrop Mackworth Praed was an English politician and poet.-Early life:He was born in London. The family name of Praed was derived from the marriage of the poet's great-grandfather to a Cornish heiress. Winthrop's father, William Mackworth Praed, was a serjeant-at-law. His mother belonged to the...
(1953);
Five Uncollected Essays of Matthew Arnold (1953); and The Poems of Matthew Arnold (1965).
Allott's Collected Poems was published posthumously in 1975. He was a witty and popular lecturer, with a great affection for cats. He also smoked heavily, believing wrongly that an earlier bout of tuberculosis would confer protection. He did in fact die of lung cancer.
A new revised and expanded edition of Allott's Collected Poems, edited, introduced and annotated by Michael Murphy
Michael Murphy
Michael Murphy may refer to:* Michael Murphy , American actor* Michael Murphy , former VFL/AFL player...
, was published in 2008.