Nicholas Moore
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Moore was an English
poet, associated with the New Apocalyptics
in the 1940s, who later dropped out of the literary world.
Moore was born in Cambridge
, England
; his father was the philosopher G. E. Moore. He was educated at the Dragon School
in Oxford
, Leighton Park School
in Reading
, the University of St Andrews
in Scotland
, and Trinity College
in Cambridge
. Moore published a literary review, Seven (1938–1940), while still an undergraduate (Seven, Magazine of People's Writing, with a complex later history: he edited it with John Goodland; it later appeared edited by Gordon Cruikshank, and then Sydney D. Tremayne, after Randall Swingler
bought it in 1941 from Philip O'Connor
).
While in Cambridge he became closely involved with literary London
, in particular Tambimuttu. He published pamphlets under the Poetry London
imprint in 1941 (of George Scurfield, G. S. Fraser
, Anne Ridler
and his own work). This led to Moore becoming Tambimuttu's assistant. He later worked for the Grey Walls Press.
The Glass Tower, a selected poems collection from 1944, appeared with illustrations by Lucian Freud
. Later he encountered difficulty publishing; he was in the unusual position for a British poet of having a higher reputation in the USA. His association with the 'romantics' of the 1940s was in fact rather an inaccurate reflection of his style.
In the 1950s he worked as a gardener, writing a book The tall bearded iris (1956). In 1968 he entered 31 separate pseudonymous translations of a single Baudelaire poem, in a competition for the Sunday Times
, run by George Steiner
. This work was eventually published, as Spleen; it is also available online.
Longings of the Acrobats, a selected poems volume, was edited by Peter Riley
and published 1990 by Carcanet Press. An interview with Riley concerning Moore's rediscovery and later years appears as a documentary element within the "Guilty River" chapter of Iain Sinclair
's novel Downriver.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
poet, associated with the New Apocalyptics
New Apocalyptics
The New Apocalyptics were a poetry grouping in the UK in the 1940s, taking their name from the anthology The New Apocalypse , which was edited by J. F. Hendry and Henry Treece...
in the 1940s, who later dropped out of the literary world.
Moore was born in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
; his father was the philosopher G. E. Moore. He was educated at the Dragon School
Dragon School
The Dragon School is a British coeducational, preparatory school in the city of Oxford, founded in 1877 as the Oxford Preparatory School, or OPS. It is primarily known as a boarding school, although it also takes day pupils...
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, Leighton Park School
Leighton Park School
Leighton Park School is a co-educational Quaker independent school for both day and boarding pupils. It is situated in the large town of Reading in Berkshire, in South East England...
in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
in Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. Moore published a literary review, Seven (1938–1940), while still an undergraduate (Seven, Magazine of People's Writing, with a complex later history: he edited it with John Goodland; it later appeared edited by Gordon Cruikshank, and then Sydney D. Tremayne, after Randall Swingler
Randall Swingler
Randall Swingler MM was an English poet, writing extensively in the 1930s in the communist interest.His was a prosperous middle class Anglican family near Nottingham, with an industrial background in the Midlands. He was educated at Winchester College, and New College, Oxford...
bought it in 1941 from Philip O'Connor
Philip O'Connor
Philip O'Connor was a British writer and surrealist poet, who also painted. He was one of the 'Wheatsheaf writers' of 1930s Fitzrovia...
).
While in Cambridge he became closely involved with literary 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...
, in particular Tambimuttu. He published pamphlets under the Poetry London
Poetry London
Poetry London is a London-based literary periodical. As Poetry London: A Bi-Monthly of Modern Verse and Criticism it was founded by Tambimuttu and the first issue was dated January/February 1939.In a new form the magazine is still in print....
imprint in 1941 (of George Scurfield, G. S. Fraser
G. S. Fraser
George Sutherland Fraser was a Scottish poet, literary critic and academic. He was born in Glasgow, later moving with his family to Aberdeen. He went to the University of St. Andrews....
, Anne Ridler
Anne Ridler
Anne Barbara Ridler OBE was a British poet, and Faber and Faber editor, selecting the Faber A Little Book of Modern Verse with T. S. Eliot . Her Collected Poems were published in 1994...
and his own work). This led to Moore becoming Tambimuttu's assistant. He later worked for the Grey Walls Press.
The Glass Tower, a selected poems collection from 1944, appeared with illustrations by Lucian Freud
Lucian Freud
Lucian Michael Freud, OM, CH was a British painter. Known chiefly for his thickly impasted portrait and figure paintings, he was widely considered the pre-eminent British artist of his time...
. Later he encountered difficulty publishing; he was in the unusual position for a British poet of having a higher reputation in the USA. His association with the 'romantics' of the 1940s was in fact rather an inaccurate reflection of his style.
In the 1950s he worked as a gardener, writing a book The tall bearded iris (1956). In 1968 he entered 31 separate pseudonymous translations of a single Baudelaire poem, in a competition for the Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
, run by George Steiner
George Steiner
Francis George Steiner, FBA , is an influential European-born American literary critic, essayist, philosopher, novelist, translator, and educator. He has written extensively about the relationship between language, literature and society, and the impact of the Holocaust...
. This work was eventually published, as Spleen; it is also available online.
Longings of the Acrobats, a selected poems volume, was edited by Peter Riley
Peter Riley
Peter Riley is a contemporary English poet, essayist, and editor. Riley is known as a Cambridge poet, part of the group vaguely associated with J. H. Prynne which today is acknowledged as an important epicenter of innovative poetry in the United Kingdom. Riley was an editor and major contributor...
and published 1990 by Carcanet Press. An interview with Riley concerning Moore's rediscovery and later years appears as a documentary element within the "Guilty River" chapter of Iain Sinclair
Iain Sinclair
Iain Sinclair FRSL is a British writer and filmmaker. Much of his work is rooted in London, most recently within the influences of psychogeography.-Life and work:...
's novel Downriver.
External links
- Spleen: Thirty-one versions of Baudelaire's Je suis comme le roi... by Nicholas Moore was first published in book form as Spleen 1973 by Blacksuede Boot Press and Menard Press.