Ruth Pitter
Encyclopedia
Emma Thomas "Ruth" Pitter, CBE
, FRSL
(7 November 1897 - 29 February 1992) was a 20th century British
poet
.
She was the first woman to receive the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry
in 1955, and was appointed a CBE in 1979 to honour her many contributions to English literature.
In 1974, she was named a "Companion of Literature", the highest honour given by the Royal Society of Literature
.
. She worked in the War Office
from 1915 to 1917, later working as a painter at a furniture company in Suffolk
, Walberswick Peasant Pottery Co., where she worked until 1930. In Suffolk, she befriended Richard and Ida Blair at Southwold
, the parents of George Orwell
, and later helped Orwell find lodgings in London in 1927, taking a vague interest in his writing, of which she was generally critical.
Later, Pitter and her life-long good friend, Kathleen O'Hara, operated Deane and Forester, a small firm that specialized in decorative, painted furniture. The business closed when World War II
began. Pitter took work in a factory. After the war, she and O'Hara opened a small business painting trays. Pitter was skillful at the flower-painting used in both furniture and tray decorating.
From 1946 to 1972, she was often a guest on BBC
radio programs, and from 1956 to 1960, she appeared regularly on the BBC's The Brains Trust
, one of the first television talk programs.
with the help of Hilaire Belloc
. Despite her business and factory work, Pitter managed to spend a few hours a day writing poetry.
She went on to publish 18 volumes of new and collected verse over a 70-year career as a published poet. Many of her volumes met with some critical and financial success.
She received the Hawthornden Prize
in 1937 for A Trophy of Arms, published the previous year. In 1954 she won the William E. Heinemann Award for her book, Ermine (1953).
and rhyme
schemes of the 19th century. One critic has described her and her poetry thus:
Because of this, Pitter was frequently overlooked by critics of her day, and has only in recent years been seen as important: her reputation was helped by Larkin's respect for her poetry (he included four of her poems in The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse).
She was a good friend of C. S. Lewis
, who admired her poetry and once said, according to his friend and biographer George Sayer, that if he was the kind of man who got married, he would have wanted to marry Ruth Pitter. In correspondence between the two, Lewis often critiqued her work and made suggestions. Pitter is considered by many Lewis scholars to have had an effect on his writing in the 1940s and 1950s.
W. B. Yeats, Robin Skelton
and Thom Gunn
also appreciated Pitter's work and praised her poetry. Lord David Cecil
once remarked that Pitter was one of the most original and moving poets then living.
Pitter's work continues to be published in anthologies. For instance:
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FRSL
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
(7 November 1897 - 29 February 1992) was a 20th century British
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...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
She was the first woman to receive the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry
Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry
The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry is awarded for a book of verse published by someone in any of the Commonwealth realms. Originally the award was open only to British subjects living in the United Kingdom, but in 1985 the scope was extended to include people from the rest of the Commonwealth realms...
in 1955, and was appointed a CBE in 1979 to honour her many contributions to English literature.
In 1974, she was named a "Companion of Literature", the highest honour given by the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
.
Career
Pitter was born in IlfordIlford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
. She worked in the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
from 1915 to 1917, later working as a painter at a furniture company in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, Walberswick Peasant Pottery Co., where she worked until 1930. In Suffolk, she befriended Richard and Ida Blair at Southwold
Southwold
Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...
, the parents of George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
, and later helped Orwell find lodgings in London in 1927, taking a vague interest in his writing, of which she was generally critical.
Later, Pitter and her life-long good friend, Kathleen O'Hara, operated Deane and Forester, a small firm that specialized in decorative, painted furniture. The business closed when 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...
began. Pitter took work in a factory. After the war, she and O'Hara opened a small business painting trays. Pitter was skillful at the flower-painting used in both furniture and tray decorating.
From 1946 to 1972, she was often a guest on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio programs, and from 1956 to 1960, she appeared regularly on the BBC's The Brains Trust
The Brains Trust
The Brains Trust was a popular informational BBC radio and later television programme in the United Kingdom during the 1940s and 50s.- History :...
, one of the first television talk programs.
Poet
Pitter began writing poetry early in life under the influence of her parents, George and Louisa (Murrell) Pitter, both primary schoolteachers. In 1920, she published her first book of poetryPoetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
with the help of Hilaire Belloc
Hilaire Belloc
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc was an Anglo-French writer and historian who became a naturalised British subject in 1902. He was one of the most prolific writers in England during the early twentieth century. He was known as a writer, orator, poet, satirist, man of letters and political activist...
. Despite her business and factory work, Pitter managed to spend a few hours a day writing poetry.
She went on to publish 18 volumes of new and collected verse over a 70-year career as a published poet. Many of her volumes met with some critical and financial success.
She received the Hawthornden Prize
Hawthornden Prize
The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender. Authors are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature" which can be written in either poetry or prose...
in 1937 for A Trophy of Arms, published the previous year. In 1954 she won the William E. Heinemann Award for her book, Ermine (1953).
Style and influences
Pitter was a traditionalist poet—she avoided most of the experimentations of modern verse and preferred the meterMeter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
and rhyme
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
schemes of the 19th century. One critic has described her and her poetry thus:
Because of this, Pitter was frequently overlooked by critics of her day, and has only in recent years been seen as important: her reputation was helped by Larkin's respect for her poetry (he included four of her poems in The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse).
She was a good friend of C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
, who admired her poetry and once said, according to his friend and biographer George Sayer, that if he was the kind of man who got married, he would have wanted to marry Ruth Pitter. In correspondence between the two, Lewis often critiqued her work and made suggestions. Pitter is considered by many Lewis scholars to have had an effect on his writing in the 1940s and 1950s.
W. B. Yeats, Robin Skelton
Robin Skelton
Robin Skelton was a British-born academic, writer, poet, and anthologist.Born in Easington, Yorkshire, Skelton was educated at the University of Leeds and Cambridge University. From 1944 to 1947, he served with the Royal Air Force in India. He later taught at Manchester University...
and Thom Gunn
Thom Gunn
Thom Gunn, born Thomson William Gunn , was an Anglo-American poet who was praised both for his early verses in England, where he was associated with The Movement and his later poetry in America, even after moving toward a looser, free-verse style...
also appreciated Pitter's work and praised her poetry. Lord David Cecil
Lord David Cecil
Edward Christian David Gascoyne-Cecil, CH , was a British biographer, historian and academic. He held the style of 'Lord' by courtesy, as a younger son of a marquess.-Early life and studies:...
once remarked that Pitter was one of the most original and moving poets then living.
Pitter's work continues to be published in anthologies. For instance:
- The Faber Book of 20th Century Women's Poetry, Ed. Fleur Adcock (London: Faber, 1987), where her "The Sparrow's Skull" and "Morning Glory" appear (77-78)
- More Poetry Please! 100 Popular Poems from the BBC Radio 4 Programme (London: Everyman, 1988), where her "The Rude Potato" appears (101-02)
- The Oxford Book of Garden Verse, Ed. John Dixon Hunt (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1993), where her "The Diehards" and "Other People's Glasshouses" appear (236-41)
- The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women: The Traditions in English, 2nd ed., Eds. Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar (New York: Norton, 1996 [1985]), where her "The Military Harpist," "The Irish Patriarch," "Old Nelly's Birthday," and "Yorkshire Wife's Saga" appear (1573–77)
- The New Penguin Book of English Verse, Ed. Paul Keegan (London: Allen Lane, Penguin Press, 2000), where her "But for Lust" appears (962)
Christian faith influences
Pitter described her spiritual debt to C. S. Lewis:External links
- http://www.montreat.edu/dking/Ruth%20Pitter/RuthPitterProject.htm Recent project to write two books on Pitter's life.
- The religious poetry of Ruth Pitter
- Hunting the Unicorn: A Critical Biography of Ruth Pitter