Victor Plarr
Encyclopedia
Victor Gustave Plarr was an English
poet
; he is probably best known for the poem Epitaphium Citharistriae.
He was born near Strasbourg
, France
, of a French father from Alsace
, and an English mother. He was brought up in England after his family moved at the time of the Franco-Prussian War
. He read history at Worcester College, Oxford
.
He worked as a librarian, first (from 1890) at King's College London
, then at the Royal College of Surgeons of England
from 1897 until his death. The following year, the first two volumes of Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons
were published under the editorship of D'Arcy Power
. Often known as Plarr's Lives, the biographies of the original 300 fellows are considered an early social history of English medicine.
Plarr was a founding member of the Rhymer's Club. A generally uncongenial figure, he was befriended in 1909 by Ezra Pound
, who enjoyed Plarr's tales of the "decadent nineties."
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
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...
; he is probably best known for the poem Epitaphium Citharistriae.
He was born near Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, of a French father from Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, and an English mother. He was brought up in England after his family moved at the time of the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
. He read history at Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
.
He worked as a librarian, first (from 1890) at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, then at the Royal College of Surgeons of England
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
from 1897 until his death. The following year, the first two volumes of Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons is a professional qualification to practise as a surgeon in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland...
were published under the editorship of D'Arcy Power
D'Arcy Power
Sir D'Arcy Power KBE FRCS FSA was a British surgeon, medical historian, and contributor of some 200 articles on famous surgeons and other related figures to the Dictionary of National Biography....
. Often known as Plarr's Lives, the biographies of the original 300 fellows are considered an early social history of English medicine.
Plarr was a founding member of the Rhymer's Club. A generally uncongenial figure, he was befriended in 1909 by Ezra Pound
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet and critic and a major figure in the early modernist movement in poetry...
, who enjoyed Plarr's tales of the "decadent nineties."
Works
- In the Dorian Mood (1896)
- A School History of Middlesex including London (1905) (with Francis W. Walton)
- The Tragedy of Asgard (1905)
- Ernest Dowson 1888-1897 (1914)
- Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons (1930)