Guy Butler
Guy Butler was a prominent South African poet, playwright, and academic, known for his significant contributions to English literature and education. Born in South Africa, he attended grammar school in Cradock and later earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Rhodes University. His academic journey continued at Oxford, where he obtained a Ph.D. in English. Butler's career in academia included a long tenure at the University of Witwatersrand and Rhodes University, where he became a full professor and head of the English department before retiring in 1987.
As a poet, Butler's work is characterized by its engagement with themes of drama, history, and a profound exploration of identity and heritage, particularly for English-speaking South Africans. His poetry reflects a deep religious vision and often grapples with concepts of parting, failure, and self-denial. Despite receiving critical acclaim, some of his later works faced criticism for their perceived colonial and separatist mentality. Notably, Butler's play "The Dam" won an award in 1953, and his collection "Selected Poems" earned the CNA Literary Award. His final project, "The Prophetic Nun," was an extensive historical research endeavor that occupied him for over sixty years. Butler passed away at the age of eighty-three.
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Subject Terms
Guy Butler
Poet
- Born: January 21, 1918
- Birthplace: Cradock, Cape Province, South Africa
- Died: April 26, 2001
- Place of death: Grahamstown, South Africa
Biography
Guy Butler was born and raised in South Africa. He attended grammar school in the Cape Province town of Cradock. He later earned his bachelor’s degree from Rhodes University in 1938 and was awarded his master’s degree in English literature in 1939. In 1940, before leaving the country to fight in World War II, Butler married Jean Murray Satchwell, with whom he later had four children. After his service in World War II, Butler attended Brasenose College in Oxford, England. He received his Ph.D. in English in 1947.
Butler returned to South Africa after completing his studies in England. He found work as a lecturer at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. In 1951, Butler accepted the position of senior lecturer at Rhodes University. Butler was appointed a full professor and head of the English department a year later. After retiring from teaching in 1987, Butler was named emeritus professor and awarded an honorary research fellowship.
As a poet, Butler’s work is enriched to mythic dimension and the rhythms of living speech by its engagement with drama and history. The tension in his poetry stems from the struggle to articulate and reconcile contending forces while remaining true to experience. Many poems deal with parting, failure, or self-denial and are infused with a deep religious vision. Butler’s later poems are less sure of themselves and focus on solitary figures who sense that stillness may be the only response to the enigma of this world. Critics have attacked this more contemplative poetry as having a colonial and separatist mentality. Butler’s poetry strives to lead English-speaking South Africans towards an awareness of their own identity and heritage.
An award-winning poet, playwright, and autobiographer, Butler received his first award for his 1953 play,The Dam. His Selected Poems (1975) received the CNA Literary Award. His final project before his death at age eighty-three in 200 was The Prophetic Nun, a work of historical research that his son, David Butler, claimed his father had spent the previous sixty-three years writing and researching.