Robin Skelton
Robin Skelton (1925–1997) was a distinguished English poet, educator, and publisher known for his extensive contributions to literature and the arts. Born in Easington, East Yorkshire, he was educated at Pocklington Grammar School and later at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he began publishing poetry. After serving in the Royal Air Force and working as a broadcaster in India, he returned to England to pursue a career in academia, teaching at the University of Manchester while also writing drama criticism and poetry. Skelton's poetic works often explored themes related to religion, art, and literary criticism, with a particular focus on Irish writers and pre-Christian elements in British poetry.
In 1963, he immigrated to Canada and played a pivotal role in establishing the Creative Writing program at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. He was also active in the publishing world, founding Pharos Press and editing the Malahat Review. Throughout his career, Skelton received several accolades, including being named a fellow of P.E.N. International. His literary legacy includes numerous poetry collections and critical works, highlighting his influence on both contemporary poetry and education in literature. Skelton passed away in 1997, leaving behind a rich body of work that continues to be studied and appreciated.
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Subject Terms
Robin Skelton
Fiction and Nonfiction Writer, Playwright and Poet
- Born: October 12, 1925
- Birthplace: Easington, Yorkshire, England
- Died: August 22, 1997
- Place of death: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Biography
Noted for his contributions to education, art, and publishing, as well as for his prolific writings in several fields, Robin Skelton was born on October 12, 1925, in Easington, East Yorkshire, England. He was the only son of Eliza (Robins) and Cyril Skelton, the village schoolmaster. He boarded from 1936 to 1943 at Pocklington Grammar School near York. Skelton then entered Christ’s College, Cambridge University, in 1943, the year his first poems were published in the school magazine. After training as a code and ciphers clerk for the Royal Air Force, he was sent to South Asia for two years as a sergeant; he also worked as a scriptwriter and broadcaster for All IndiaRadio of New Delhi. Returning to England in 1947, Skelton entered Leeds University, graduating with first-class honors in 1950 and receiving an M.A. from the university in 1951.
From 1950 to 1957, Skelton wrote drama criticism for the Leeds Union News, while teaching at the University of Manchester beginning in 1951 and managing Lotus Press for two years. He married Margaret Lambert in 1953. In 1955, Skelton brought out his first collection of poems, Patmos, and Other Poems, a Poetry Book Society Choice. At this time, he also began his extensive career in nonfiction writing, a career eventually embracing works in religion, art history, and literary criticism. Skelton’s criticism often focused on Irish writers such as William Butler Yeats and J. M. Synge; in religion, he wrote on pre-Christian elements in British poetry and ballads, eventually himself becoming an active witch and writing works such as The Practice of Witchcraft Today (1988). In addition, Skelton translated the works of writers such as Federico Garcia Lorca and George Faludy.
In 1957, he and Margaret divorced; he then married Sylvia Mary Jarrett on February 4, 1957, eventually having a son and two daughters. Increasingly dissatisfied at the University of Manchester, Skelton immigrated to Canada in 1963, establishing the Creative Writing program at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. While at Victoria, he also gave art shows that demonstrated his skill at collage work. Taking a sabbatical in 1969-1970, Skelton visited several countries in Europe, writing and making cultural comparisons; the result of this tour was the collection Timelight (1974).
In the publishing field, Skelton founded Pharos Press and worked as editor of Sono Nis Press. After cofounding the literary magazine Malahat Review, Skelton served as its editor until 1983. His awards include being made a fellow of P.E.N. International and a Knight of Mark Twain in 1976. An early retrospective of his work, Selected Poems, 1947-1967 (1968), was followed by Collected Shorter Poems, 1947-1977 (1981). He also wrote about poetry writing itself, in books such as The Practice of Poetry (1971) and The Poet’s Calling (1975).
After visiting professorships at the University of Massachusetts, the University of Michigan, and the Eastern Washington State Creative Writing Summer School, Skelton retired from the University of Victoria in 1991. In 1996, a collection of his best work from the 1970’s and 1980’s was published, One Leaf Shaking. The MacPherson Library at Victoria contains nearly all of his manuscripts. He died on August 27, 1997.