Arthur Quiller-Couch
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, born on November 21, 1863, in Bodmin, Cornwall, England, was a prominent writer known primarily for his poems and adventure fiction, often published under the pseudonym "Q." He began his literary career after attending Trinity College, Oxford, where he privately published a lengthy poem in 1881. Quiller-Couch's first novel, *Dead Man's Rock: A Romance*, was released in 1887 and received positive reviews, drawing comparisons to notable authors like Robert Louis Stevenson. A significant figure in English literature, he was later appointed to edit *The Oxford Book of English Verse*, a role that established him as a recognized authority in the field.
Beyond his editorial work, Quiller-Couch was a professor of English Literature at Cambridge University, where his lectures emphasized the lived experiences of writers rather than treating them solely as cultural icons. His dedication to education extended to his efforts in standardizing secondary schools in Cornwall, earning him a knighthood in 1910. Quiller-Couch's affinity for his Cornish roots profoundly influenced his fiction, particularly in his stories that feature the local dialect. He passed away on May 12, 1944, after suffering injuries from a car accident. His contributions to literature and education continue to be acknowledged and respected.
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Arthur Quiller-Couch
Author
- Born: November 21, 1863
- Birthplace: Bodmin, Cornwall, England
- Died: 1944
- Place of death: St. Austell, Cornwall, England
Biography
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, best known for his poems and adventure fiction published under the pseudonym “Q,” was born in Bodmin, Cornwall, England, on November 21, 1863. Matriculating to Trinity College, Oxford, Quiller-Couch immediately established himself as a serious writer, privately publishing a lengthy poem, Athens: A Poem, in 1881.
Moving to London after completing his studies, Quiller-Couch immediately found work as a journalist for the liberal newspaper The Speaker in 1887. His first novel, Dead Man’s Rock: A Romance, appeared the same year to enthusiastic reviews, the critic in Punch likening the adventurous style to that of Robert Louis Stevenson and H. Rider Haggard. In 1892, he returned to his native Cornwall while continuing to write for The Speaker as a correspondent until 1899. His volume of poetry, Green Bays: Verses and Parodies, fared less well with the critics than his first novel. Green Bays contained some delightful pieces of light verse and parody, but the serious verse in the collection was not as well written.
Quiller-Couch’s knowledge of serious poetry, however, was profound, and many British academics were surprised in 1900 when Oxford University Press chose him rather than an established academic scholar to edit The Oxford Book of English Verse. The volume sold so well that it was continued as an annual publication, updated each year with the best current poetry in the English language; Quiller-Couch edited each annual volume until 1939. By virtue of the series, British readers considered Quiller-Couch an authority on English literature, particularly when he followed the Oxford verse series with The Oxford Book of Ballads and The Oxford Book of English Prose.
Consequently, in 1912 he was appointed the King Edward VII Professor of English Literature at Cambridge University. His lectures were noted at the time for going against the Edwardian trend of presenting the great figures of English letters as icons of culture. Instead, Quiller-Couch looked at the great writers as flesh and blood people, examining their lives as much as their writing.
Before accepting the chair at Cambridge, Quiller-Couch had been active in attempts to standardize secondary schools in Cornwall, and for this civic service he was knighted in 1910. He maintained his residence in Cornwall even during the more than thirty years he taught at Cambridge, residing at the university only during the two twelve-week sessions that constituted the British school year. His Cornish identity even entered his fiction; many critics consider his stories set in Cornwall, and narrated in Cornish dialect, to be his best work.
In March, 1944, Quiller-Couch was injured in a car crash from which he never fully recovered. Sent home for private nursing care, he died in his home on May 12, 1944.