Boris Ford

Richard Boris Ford (born in India on 1 July 1917, died 19 May 1998)[1], known as Boris Ford, was a literary critic, writer, editor and educationist.

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Early life

The son of an Indian Army officer, Brigadier G.N. Ford, and his Russian wife Ekaterina[1], Ford was a boy chorister at King's College, Cambridge and was educated at Gresham's School and Downing College, Cambridge. At Downing he studied under F.R. Leavis.[1]

Career

After Cambridge, Ford joined the army, and from 1940 until the end of the Second World War was the officer commanding the Middle East School of Artistic Studies[1].

Later he worked at the United Nations Secretariat in its early years, was the BBC's head of schools broadcasting, was Education Secretary to the Cambridge University Press[1], edited important academic journals and anthologies (see sections below) and became Professor of Education at Sussex University and later at Bristol[1].

He was a follower of Leavis but had a stormy relationship with him and his wife Q. D.. At one point, Q. D. wrote to him "Mrs Leavis informs Mr Ford that he is no longer an acceptable visitor to her house. Any communications from him will not be answered."[1]

Family

He was married twice. With his first wife, Noreen, he had two daughters and a son, and was the step father to Noreen's daughter by her first marriage. He was the step father of a daughter of his second wife, Inge.[1]

Publications

Editor of Journals

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Obituary by David Holbrook in the College Record 1998 of Downing College, Cambridge (accessed 22 October 2007)

External links