Roy Campbell
Roy Campbell was a notable South African poet, born on October 2, 1901, in Durban, Natal, who became the first from his country to gain international recognition in the literary world. He grew up in a culturally rich environment, influenced by his Scottish mother and African heritage, which shaped his artistic pursuits. Despite facing challenges in his early education, including a difficult relationship with his headmaster, Campbell developed a passion for storytelling and art, later illustrating some of his own works. After leaving South Africa for London in 1918, he engaged with prominent literary figures and published his successful poetry collection, *The Flaming Terrapin*.
Throughout his career, Campbell's work reflected his diverse experiences, including his time in France and Spain, where he supported Francisco Franco's rebellion. He served in the King's African Rifles during World War II and later contributed to the British Broadcasting Corporation. In his later years, Campbell focused on translating the works of renowned writers and continued to influence the literary scene until his untimely death in a car accident on April 23, 1957. His contributions to poetry and literature remain significant, highlighting the complexities of identity and cultural heritage.
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Roy Campbell
Poet
- Born: October 2, 1901
- Birthplace: Durban, Natal, South Africa
- Died: April 23, 1957
- Place of death: Near Setubal, Portugal
Biography
Roy Campbell, the first South African poet to gain international recognition, was born October 2, 1901, in Durban, Natal, South Africa. His father, Samuel Campbell, a well-known physician and scholar, was a second-generation South African who married Margaret Dunnachie, a Scotswoman with strong ties to her native land. Consequently, Campbell was torn between Scotland, with Highland dances, bagpipes, and heroic clansmen, and the African bush, with a Zulu nanny and traditions about hunting; he spoke both English and Zulu
His mother encouraged Campbell’s interest in art (he later illustrated some of his books) and in storytelling, but his experiences at Durban Boys High School were not encouraging. A. S. Langley, the headmaster, disliked Samuel Campbell, who had founded the Technical College, and took out his hostility on his son, Roy. Young Campbell, who led a school gang called the Scorpions, also earned Langley’s ire because of his gang’s rebellious acts. Campbell’s hatred of Langley and authority was later transferred to his father and to academic discipline. After he left high school, he entered Natal University College but spent most of his time reading and engaging in antiestablishment behavior. In 1918, he left South Africa for London.
He hoped to pass Greek so that he could enter Oxford University but soon abandoned that idea and took to drink. While at Oxford he met several writers, including Wyndham Lewis, T. S. Eliot, and T. W. Earp, with whom he had a homosexual affair. He spent the next few years traveling back and forth between London and the Continent and working at a variety of jobs. In 1921, he met Mary Garman, whom he married in 1922. The couple led a bohemian existence while Campbell wrote The Flaming Terrapin, a book of poetry that was a critical and commercial success. However, Campbell and his wife were barely surviving financially, and they returned to South Africa.
His four years in South Africa were unhappy ones, despite his warm welcome home. His father died and Voorslag, the literary journal he helped create, failed when it attacked racism. Still penniless, he and his family returned to England, where he and his work were both praised and criticized. In 1928, he moved to Provence, France, where he worked as a fisherman while compiling Adamastor, another collection of poems. He then traveled to Spain, where he and his wife remarried as Catholics and where his support of Francisco Franco’s rebellion led to his book Flowering Rifle.
During World War II, Campbell served in Africa as a coast watcher while a member of the King’s African Rifles. After the war he produced the intellectual Third Program for the British Broadcasting Corporation and in 1949 became editor of The Catacomb. In 1952, he purchased a farm near Lisbon, Portugal, and conducted lecture tours of the United States and Canada in 1953 and 1955. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Natal in 1954. After his move to Portugal, Campbell focused on translating some of the works of Lope de Vega, St. John of the Cross, and Fredrico Garcia Lorca. He died in a car crash on April 23, 1957, and is buried in Portugal at San Pedro’s Cemetery.