Richard Cowper
Richard Cowper, born John Middleton-Murry, Jr., on May 9, 1926, in Bridport, Dorset, was a notable British writer known for his unique blend of mainstream and speculative fiction. To differentiate himself from his writer father, Cowper adopted a pseudonym and pursued a diverse educational journey, including studies at Oxford and a teaching career in various institutions. His literary debut came with "Breakthrough," showcasing a subtle poetic quality amidst contemporary themes. Cowper's work often delved into fantastical elements, as seen in his novel "Phoenix," which imagines a rejuvenated William Shakespeare in a future stripped of modern technology. His 1972 satirical novel "Clone" critiques the alienation wrought by technological society, while his most renowned series, the White Bird of Friendship cycle, explores a post-apocalyptic England transformed into a fragmented archipelago. These narratives reflect his interest in humanity's struggles and resilience, often highlighting the complexities of community and belief. Cowper passed away in 2002, leaving behind a legacy of literature that sought to resonate with the human experience.
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Richard Cowper
Writer
- Born: May 9, 1926
- Birthplace: Bridport, Dorset, England
- Died: April 29, 2002
- Place of death: Brighton, East Sussex, England
Biography
Richard Cowper was born John Middleton-Murry, Jr., in Bridport, Dorset, on May 9, 1926. His father, with whom he shared a name, was also a writer, and Cowper felt obligated to write under a pseudonym to avoid unnecessary confusion about his identity. He studied at Rendcomb College in Gloucestershire from 1937 through 1943, his studies interrupted by a period of service in the air arm of the Royal Navy from 1944 through 1947. He later attended Brasenose College at Oxford, where he received a B.A. with honors in English in 1950. At that time he married Ruth Jezierski, with whom he had two daughters. He subsequently studied at the University of Leicester from 1950 through 1951, after which he became a teacher of English at Whittinghame College in Brighton from 1952 until1967. From 1967 until1970, he headed the English department at Atlantic World College in Llantwit-Major, Wales.
His writing career started with Breakthrough, which was primarily mainstream but contained glimmers of a brighter, more poetic age hidden beyond the mundane contemporary setting. His next novel, Phoenix, dealt with a more explicitly fantastic theme, namely a rejuvenated William Shakespeareawakening in a futuristic world after much technology has been lost and society has returned to older and simpler modes of living. In 1972, his satiric novel Clone took the literary world by storm, exploring his distaste with an increasingly alienated technological society that destroys the essential humanity of those living within it. His best-known works are the White Bird of Friendship cycle, which deal with a far future in which a catastrophe has left England flooded and reduced to an archipelago of much smaller islands where people live with a much reduced technology. When a boy named Tom discovers he can use his flute to draw people together into a brotherhood, he lauches a new religion that will be persecuted, only to triumph and in turn become dogmatic and persecuting.
Cowper died in 2002. In describing his fiction, he said he wrote primarily for pleasure, desiring to create a work that reflected the human heart in all its manifestations.