Patricia Beer was an English poet and critic.

She was born in Exmouth

Exmouth, Devon

Exmouth is a port town, civil parish and seaside resort in East Devon, England, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe. In 2001, it had a population of 32,972.-History:...

, Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

 into a family of Plymouth Brethren

Plymouth Brethren

The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...

. She moved away from her religious background as a young adult, becoming a teacher and academic. She began to write poetry after 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...

, while living in Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

; she is most often classified as a 'New Romantic' poet comparable to John Heath-Stubbs

John Heath-Stubbs

John Francis Alexander Heath-Stubbs OBE was an English poet and translator, known for his verse influenced by classical myths, and the long Arthurian poem Artorius .- Biography :...

. On her own account, however, there is a discontinuity in her work. Devon is a major presence.

She was married twice; first to the writer P.N. Furbank, and then to Damien Parsons, an architect, settling in Upottery

Upottery

Upottery is a small settlement in Devon, England.RAF Upottery is a former World War II airfield in East Devon, England. The airfield is located approximately 6 miles north-northeast of Honiton; about 140 miles southwest of London-External links:...

, near Honiton

Honiton

Honiton is a town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. The town's name is pronounced in two ways, and , each pronunciation having its adherents...

, England. From the later 1960s she wrote full time. She edited several significant anthologies, broadcast, and contributed to literary reviews.

Works

• Loss of the Magyar, and other poems (1959)
• The Survivors (1963) poems
• Just Like the Resurrection (1967) poems
• Mrs. Beer's House (1968) autobiography
• The Estuary (1971) poems
• An Introduction to the Metaphysical Poets (1972)
• Reader: I Married Him (1974) criticism
• Driving West (1975)
• Moon's Ottery (1978)
• Selected Poems (1979)
• The Lie of the Land (1983)
• Collected Poems (1988) poems
• Friends of Heraclitus (1993)
• Autumn (1997) poems
• Abbey Tomb (date unknown)

External links

• Patricia Beer - 1924 - 1999 Accessed 2009-12-27
• Obituary: Patricia Beer Accessed 2009-12-27