John Heath-Stubbs

John Francis Alexander Heath-Stubbs OBE (9 July 1918 - 26 December 2006) was an English poet and translator, known for his verse influenced by classical myths, and the long Arthurian poem Artorius (1972).

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Biography

Heath Stubbs was born in London, and educated at Bembridge School and Queen's College, Oxford. He co-edited Eight Oxford Poets in 1941, with Sidney Keyes and Michael Meyer, and helped edit Oxford Poetry in 1942-43. He lived for a time in the 1950s at Zennor in Cornwall. He was a representative figure of British poetry in the early 1950s, and edited the poetry anthology Images of Tomorrow (1953). he was awarded an OBE and the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. Although afflicted by blindness from the 1960s, and completely without sight from 1978, he continued to write almost to the end. Ibycus: A Poem by John Heath-Stubbs, documentary film was made by the Chilean director Carlos Klein in 1997.

Writing style

His diction was strong, yet subtle. Running through his work, like that of most romantic poets, was a nostalgia for 'classicism'. He was consciously literary, and his work was elaborately wrought rather than spontaneous, so it was not the kind of poetry likely to have mass appeal. However, his devotion to the craft of poetry makes his work impressive. Few writers of his time had a deeper knowledge of the English language, or cared for it more devotedly.[1]

Poetry collections

External links

References

  1. ^ Edward Lucie-Smith in British Poetry since 1945.