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| '''Hugh Sykes Davies''' ( |
'''Hugh Sykes Davies''' (17 August 1909 – 6 June 1984)<ref name="Eagle">. ''joh.cam.ac.uk''. Retrieved 11 October 2021.</ref> was an English poet, novelist and communist, who was one of a small group of 1930s British ]. | ||
| == Biography== | |||
| Davies was born in ] to a Methodist minister and his wife. He went to ], ] and studied at Cambridge, where he co-edited a student magazine called ''Experiment'' with ]. He spent some time in Paris during the 1930s. He was to stand as a communist candidate in the 1940 general election, but the vote was cancelled because of World War II. He was one of the organisers of the ] in 1936. | |||
| Davies was born in ], ] (then in ]), to a Methodist minister and his wife. He went to ], ], and read the Classics and English Triposes at ]<ref>'University News', ''Times'', 18 June 1931, p. 16.</ref>, where he co-edited a student magazine called ''Experiment'' with ]. Upon graduation he was awarded both the Jebb Studentship and the Le Bas Essay Prize. In 1933 he was elected the first-ever fellow of English at St John's College, and three years later he was appointed a University Lecturer in the subject. While at Cambridge he was a member of the ].<ref name="obit">'Obituary: Mr Hugh Sykes Davies', ''Times'', 8 June 1984, p. 18.</ref> | |||
| Davies spent some time in Paris during the 1930s, and in 1936 he was one of the organisers of the ], where he met the artist ]. His poems were mostly published in ''avant garde'' magazines and were not collected during his lifetime; his most revered was arguably ''Petron'' (1935). His novels include ''Full Fathom Five'' (1956) and ''The Papers of Andrew Melmoth'' (1960), while his works of literary scholarship include ''Realism in the Drama'' (his prize-winning entry for the Le Bas competition; 1933), ''Surrealism'' (1936), ''Macaulay's Marginalia to Lucretius'' (1937) and ''Grammar Without Tears'' (1951). | |||
| He had a talent for friendship, and as well as Empson, he numbered ], ], ], ] and ] amongst his circle. At one stage he had ] declared his ward in an attempt to stop Lowry's drinking. | |||
| Politically Davies was of the left, and he intended to stand as a ] candidate for ] in the anticipated 1940 general election, but his prospective candidature was terminated when the party found out that he was also a member of the ]. During World War II he was employed at the ], which gave him an insight into administrative problems; consequently, he lost much of his youthful utopianism and in the 1950s, following continuing revelations about the nature of ], he renounced his communist sympathies and reverted to a more orthodox social democracy in its stead.<ref name="obit"/><ref name="Eagle"/> | |||
| Davies' poems were mostly published in ''avant garde'' magazines and were not collected during his lifetime. His novels include ''Full Fathom Five'' (1956) and ''The Papers of Andrew Melmoth'' (1960). He also wrote ''Petron'' (1935). | |||
| He appears in the Canadian National Film Board's feature-length documentary |
He had a talent for friendship, and in addition to Empson and Dalí he numbered ], ], ] and ] amongst his circle. At one stage he had ] declared his ward in an attempt to stop Lowry's drinking. He appears in the Canadian National Film Board's feature-length documentary ''Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry'', where he talks about Lowry and their friendship. | ||
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| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
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| ==References== | |||
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Revision as of 06:05, 11 October 2021
Hugh Sykes Davies (17 August 1909 – 6 June 1984) was an English poet, novelist and communist, who was one of a small group of 1930s British surrealists.
Biography
Davies was born in Prescot, Merseyside (then in Lancashire), to a Methodist minister and his wife. He went to Kingswood School, Bath, and read the Classics and English Triposes at St John's College, Cambridge, where he co-edited a student magazine called Experiment with William Empson. Upon graduation he was awarded both the Jebb Studentship and the Le Bas Essay Prize. In 1933 he was elected the first-ever fellow of English at St John's College, and three years later he was appointed a University Lecturer in the subject. While at Cambridge he was a member of the Apostles.
Davies spent some time in Paris during the 1930s, and in 1936 he was one of the organisers of the London International Surrealist Exhibition, where he met the artist Salvador Dalí. His poems were mostly published in avant garde magazines and were not collected during his lifetime; his most revered was arguably Petron (1935). His novels include Full Fathom Five (1956) and The Papers of Andrew Melmoth (1960), while his works of literary scholarship include Realism in the Drama (his prize-winning entry for the Le Bas competition; 1933), Surrealism (1936), Macaulay's Marginalia to Lucretius (1937) and Grammar Without Tears (1951).
Politically Davies was of the left, and he intended to stand as a Labour Party candidate for Isle of Ely in the anticipated 1940 general election, but his prospective candidature was terminated when the party found out that he was also a member of the Communist Party. During World War II he was employed at the Ministry of Food, which gave him an insight into administrative problems; consequently, he lost much of his youthful utopianism and in the 1950s, following continuing revelations about the nature of Stalinism, he renounced his communist sympathies and reverted to a more orthodox social democracy in its stead.
He had a talent for friendship, and in addition to Empson and Dalí he numbered T. S. Eliot, I. A. Richards, Anthony Blunt and Ludwig Wittgenstein amongst his circle. At one stage he had Malcolm Lowry declared his ward in an attempt to stop Lowry's drinking. He appears in the Canadian National Film Board's feature-length documentary Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry, where he talks about Lowry and their friendship.
External links
References
- ^ 'The Eagle', vol. LXX, no. 293 (Easter 1985), pp. 61-4. joh.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- 'University News', Times, 18 June 1931, p. 16.
- ^ 'Obituary: Mr Hugh Sykes Davies', Times, 8 June 1984, p. 18.
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