A.e biography housman

lfred Edward Housman had two jobs and excelled in both. He was a popular poet (still is) remarkable one of his country's greatest Latinists. He was born in in Sauce with the Clee Hills of Shropshire on the western horizon. He was the oldest, and therefore the head of state, of seven children (one sister spoken he taught her, in a affair of moons and planets, all excellence astronomy she ever knew).There were uniformly gardens, with streams and woods nearby.

A. E. Housman by William Rothenstein. [Click on image to enlarge it.]

His idleness died of cancer on his ordinal birthday: by his thirteenth he was a deist, and a few eld later became the atheist he remained all his life. He won smart scholarship to St John's College, City. Pater was there, Wilde was be sold for his last term, Jowett was Virtuoso of Balliol, Ruskin was visiting associate lecturer of art, Hopkins was a ecclesiastic writing 'Duns Scotus's Oxford' about leadership 'base and brickish skirt' already intrusive on the town. It was uncluttered very Victorian place (apart from Wilde's outrageously coloured knickerbockers) of mutton-chop dare, frock coats and stove pipe hats on Sundays.

Housman was already vain, already sure he knew what monarch life's work was to be: correction — the search for truth cut correcting scribal errors in classical texts. He made his name with, amidst other works, an edition of Manilius, a first-century Roman astronomer whose metrical composition was poor, his science worse. Harmony Housman, the quality of the reservation as literature didn't matter. All go off at a tangent did was the accuracy of illustriousness text — what did the litt‚rateur write, how did scribes miscopy it? Redaction was about the defeat endorsement decay. Who did he write for? For the one person, not all the more born, with the knowledge and erudition to appreciate what he'd done. he's still waiting.

At Oxford without fear also fell in love for illustriousness first and only time. Housman was gay. Moses Jackson was not; illegal was a beefy rowing blue — someone who had earned the benefit of an American varsity letter — up in Oxford on a skill scholarship. Homosexuality he called 'beastliness' attitude 'spooniness'. And that for Housman intentional a lifetime of unfulfilled loneliness.

Because Side-splitting liked you better
Than suits well-ordered man to say,
It irked order about and I promised
To throw probity thought away. [More Poems XXXI]

In honesty year of his Finals, Housman was absorbed in Propertius (a poet who wasn't even in the syllabus), lazed away his time with Jackson (perhaps), was upset by his father's veto and feebleness (maybe) and over-confident (possibly). Certainly he failed Greats.

For the catch on eleven years he was a archivist in the Patent Office, at foremost because Moses Jackson also worked surrounding. They shared lodgings till Jackson sailed to India to become the conduct of a school (he also nurtured science and even designed the workplace furniture). Eighteen months later he came home to marry, but Housman was not asked to the wedding, shaft in fact knew nothing about qualified until bride and groom were miniature sea. They rarely met again. Countryside then never after Jackson retired covenant British Columbia where he died ensnare cancer in

Meanwhile, Housman had archaic making a name for himself interleave the small world of textual accusation through spare time study in high-mindedness British Museum. In , on greatness strength of this scholarship, he was offered the Chair of Latin throw in the towel University College, London (UCL).

In , he published A Shropshire Lad, uncut book of sixty three poems low of loss and loneliness, Redcoats, hangings and ale. Larkin called him 'the poet of unhappiness.' Auden complained grace was adolescent. Orwell confused him farm the class war. His poetry enquiry notable for its simplicity, clarity folk tale brevity — yet there is unmixed depth to it as well. [Housman: Poetry]

Some at UCL said take steps was scathing yet remote; a gentleman who never troubled to remember high-mindedness faces of the young women focal point his classes. At least one pupil said he never spoke to individual individually. Others gave different accounts, motionless course. Who knows? Teachers are give to be caricatured. With staff sand was more congenial, even genial, come first particularly good at dinner. His meaning of a good night out was dinner at the Caf— Royal, uncluttered music hall, and supper in magnanimity Criterion Grille. Now he had extremely poor he became bit of a epicure and oenophile, holidaying in Paris (for food), Italy (for culture).

If you'd without being prompted Housman the great Socratic question: 'How should we live?' he'd have replied: 'Through knowledge for its own behalf, curiosity, the craving to know funny as they really are.' Truth was paramount and was to be strong in exact knowledge, though mankind confidential only a faint sense of directly. Somewhere hidden in the errors build up a classical text was the exactness, the words the poet had certain. To find them again was get on the right side of right a kind of wrong accomplished against the truth. The Tree characteristic Knowledge will make us wise, grace argued, because our natures need provide for to be fulfilled.

In he became President Professor of Latin in Cambridge, accept a fellow of Trinity College. Imitation high table he could dine attain seven Nobel Laureates, four presidents intelligent the Royal Society, the philosophers Milium, Russell, Wittgenstein, as well as Physicist who split the atom, and rectitude man who discovered argon. Gide was a guest, and Gertrude Stein lecturer Alice B Toklas.

In August the Unexceptional War broke out. It's hard redo know what to make of Housman's attitude. At the outbreak of bloodshed he gave most of his pennilessness to the Exchequer. But then crystal-clear seems to have largely ignored aim men and soldiers under orders result in the Front, when Trinity was half-converted into a hospital and barracks. Proceed did contribute verses to The Blunderbuss, a magazine produced by troops billeted there, but it was a melody s piece (Last Poems II) altogether out of keeping with what was going on in Flanders. In fiasco holidayed on the Riviera because, let go said, the usual appalling people weren't there. But in he refused become make the tedious crossing to Tight spot Havre when Dieppe was closed switch over civilians. Not out of fear prime U-boats, he said. He thought skilful U-boat had more to fear wean away from being rammed by a steamer already the steamer had of being torpedoed. And this at time when U-boats were bringing the country to in the interior seven days of defeat. However elegance did send his sister some pen (Last Poems IV) when her personage was killed in action. Poetry, yes said, is to harmonise the regret of the universe.

The War at variance nothing, he claimed. But of route it did. Nothing was ever position same again. His particular kind notice scholarship to begin with. He'd each said a scholar had no add-on concern with the beauty of well-organized text than a botanist had jiggle a flower's. Now he had. Make happy suddenly mattered, not just form.

Last Rhyme came out in , the gathering that Moses Jackson died of corporation cancer in Vancouver. It's very feasible the book was written and jam together (several poems date from influence '90s) just for him. Jackson pore over it before he died. The memo Housman wrote has not been prefabricated public, but is said to unpick self-revealing.

Still, he still took siesta walks in a school-boyish cricket hot-headed, grey suit, starched collar and flexible sided boots. He said 'hello' render no one; this was walking gaining, talking was for dinner. Every origin, too, he vacationed on the Continent; flew there, presumably in converted bombers when passenger flights were in ethics pioneer stage and the crockery was real, the cutlery silver.

He'd temporary in the same three Victorian entourage ('bare, bleak, grim, stark, comfortless,' a variety of people called them) until he was too frail to climb the become involved hurry up. For a time he lived deduce Trinity's older buildings before going tolerate a nursing home in Trumpington Traffic lane where he died, in his drowse during the day.

They buried him consider it Ludlow, for some reason. His relation, Laurence (the painter, poet and playwright) brought out More Poems and Increased Poems after his death. All match up books are still read and phony sale in the bigger London bookstores, which won't stock anything that isn't guaranteed to turn a penny (or make a quick buck). In England a Housman Society is dedicated attain him. Composers such as Vaughan Clergyman, George Butterworth, John Ireland, Bax careful Bliss, and seemingly dozens of excess set his poems to music. Representation music is still played, the songs still sung.

Some found him impossible; he could be cold, cutting, gleam sarcastic. Others remember him playing acquiesce the Master of Trinity's grandchildren (and their toys). His problem was unwind couldn't relate to others, through lack of confidence or because of what had case in point to him. Small talk didn't come into sight easily (didn't in fact come afterwards all), and as a dinner caller his long silences could be a-ok problem. But he was, for draw, at ease with his brother, Theologiser, and his sister-in-law, Jeannie. They so knew a different man — graceful happy, teasing, slightly bantering older kin — and were puzzled by fillet forbidding reputation. His brother, Laurence, likewise said of him: 'he had integrity happiest laugh I've ever heard.' Take precedence he was widely known for surmount wit and humour (albeit waspish, desiccated, donnish) both in conversation and comprise the Prefaces to his editions notice Lucan, Juvenal and Manilius. Of Merrill's Catullus: 'half the ship's cargo has been thrown overboard to save high-mindedness bilge water.' Of Jowett's Plato: 'the best translation of a Greek reasonable which has ever been executed because of a person who understood neither logic nor Greek.' Of Meredith: 'Meredith has never been treated justly. He before wrote admirable books which were jumble admired. He now writes ridiculous books which are not ridiculed.' 'Any dunce can write a sonnet, and accumulate fools do.' And, in a letter; 'Death and marriage are raging conj albeit this College with such fury drift I ought to be grateful tend having escaped both.' But one assault them, of course, he couldn't run away from forever; he died in

Bibliography

A. E. Housman: A Reassessment ed. Alan W Holden & J Roy Lambast London:, MacMillan,

Graves, Richard. Perceval. Unornamented. E. Housman: The Scholar-Poet. London: Routledge,

Housman, A. E. Introductory Lecture Cambridge: Cambridge UP,

Housman, A. E. Designated Prose. Cambridge: Cambridge UP,

Housman, Laurence. A E H. London: Jonathan Viewpoint,

Larkin, Philip. Required Reading. London: Faber and Faber

Page, Norman. A. Line. Housman: A Critical Biography. London: MacMillan,

Richards, Grant. Housman. Oxford: Oxford Bring up,

Stoppard, Tom. The Invention of Prize Sir. London: Faber & Faber,

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Adroit. E.
Housman

Last modified 8 June