W. R. Rodgers
W. R. Rodgers was an Irish poet born on August 11, 1909, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Raised in a Scots-Irish Presbyterian family, he demonstrated literary talent from a young age, studying English at Queens University and later attending Theological College, where he was ordained in 1935. His early career included a pastoral role in Loughgall, County Armagh, and a personal life marked by challenges, including his wife Marie's struggles with mental illness. Influenced by poets such as W. H. Auden and Louis MacNeice, Rodgers published his first collection, *Awake! And Other Poems*, in 1940, which received positive reviews, especially after its re-release in 1941 due to an initial printing being destroyed in World War II. After leaving the ministry in 1946, he worked as a producer and scriptwriter for the BBC while contributing to the poetic landscape with works like *Europa and the Bull, and Other Poems*. Despite facing career challenges later in life, including a less successful tenure as a writer in residence at Pitzer College, he remained a respected figure in the literary community, being elected a life member of the Irish Academy of Letters. Rodgers passed away on February 1, 1969, in Los Angeles, remembered for his contributions to poetry, even if he did not achieve the same fame as some of his contemporaries.
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W. R. Rodgers
Writer
- Born: August 11, 1909
- Birthplace: Belfast, Ireland (now in Northern Ireland)
- Died: February 1, 1969
- Place of death: Los Angeles, California
Biography
W. R. Rodgers was born on August 11, 1909, in Belfast, Ireland (now Northern Ireland), the son of Robert Rodgers, an insurance agent, and Jane McCarey Rodgers. The family were Scots-Irish Presbyterians. Rodgers early on demonstrated his literary talent and later studied English at Queens University. He then went to Theological College, completing his studies and achieving ordination in 1935.
In the same year, he was appointed to a church in Loughgall, County Aramgh, Ireland. He married Marie Harden Waddell, a physician, in 1936. His wife suffered from serious bouts of mental illness, and the couple spent many years looking for appropriate treatment.
In the 1930’s, Rodgers discovered the poetry of W. H. Auden, Louis MacNeice, and Stephen Spender. He also began writing his own poetry. His first collection, Awake! And Other Poems, was printed in 1940, during World War II, but the first printing was destroyed by an enemy attack. The book was reprinted and published in 1941. The collection was very well reviewed, with some critics favorably comparing Rodgers to Auden.
In 1946, Rodgers left the ministry to take a job as a producer and scriptwriter for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), where he worked until 1953. While at the BBC, he published his second volume, Europa and the Bull, and Other Poems. His wife died in 1953, and shortly after her death, Rodgers married Marianne Helwig, with whom he had been living.
Rodgers’s poetic output dwindled in the mid-1950’s and 1960’s. In 1966, he and his wife moved to California, where he was appointed writer in residence at Pitzer College. This was not a successful affiliation, and he was asked to leave. He later found a position at California State Polytechnic College. He died in Los Angeles on February 1, 1969.
Rodgers’s status as a poet is evident by his election as a life member of the Irish Academy of Letters, taking the place of the late George Bernard Shaw. Rodgers also was a member of the Literature and Poetry Panel of the Arts Council of Great Britain and a board member of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. He was awarded an annuity by the Dublin Arts Council in 1968.
Considered a phenomenal poet by his contemporaries, Rodgers has not achieved the stature of his two friends, MacNeice or Dylan Thomas. However, he produced several remarkable poems, and as a member of an elite group of Irish poets, it is likely that his work will continue to be read and discussed.