Richard Church
Richard Church (1893-1972) was an English author and civil servant known for his diverse literary contributions, including novels, children's books, and poetry editing. Born in London, he was educated in public schools and had a multifaceted career that spanned civil service and publishing. Church was married three times and had three children with his second wife. His notable works include the semi-autobiographical trilogy—The Porch, The Stronghold, and The Room Within—which explores themes of ambition, love, and the complexities of human relationships against the backdrop of wartime London.
In addition to his fiction, Church wrote children's literature, with titles like The Cave, Dog Toby, and The White Doe, which are recognized for their layered storytelling that resonates with both children and adults. His editorial work includes significant volumes of Romantic poetry, emphasizing his deep engagement with literary heritage. Church received several awards throughout his career, including the Femina Vie Heureuse Prize and the Foyle Poetry Prize, and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1957. His writings have been appreciated for their psychological insights and portrayal of human nature, making him a respected figure in British literature.
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Richard Church
Poet
- Born: March 26, 1893
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: March 4, 1972
- Place of death: Kent, England
Biography
Richard Thomas Church was born in 1893 in London, England, the son of Thomas John and Lavina Annie (Orton) Church. He received his education at English public schools. He was married three times: to Caroline Parfett in 1915; to Catherine Anna Schimmer, with whom he had three children, in 1928; and to Dorothy Beale in 1967.
Church worked as a British civil servant between 1909 and 1933 and then for publishers J. M. Dent & Sons as an editor until 1951. In addition, he was the director of the English Festival of Spoken Poetry and acted as a lecturer for the British Council throughout Europe, India, and Africa. He also edited volumes of poetry, including the works of Romantics John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelly.
Oliver’s Daughter: A Tale (1930) concerns the relationship between shopkeeper Oliver, his ill wife, and their daughter, Jessie, whom the mother believes Oliver loves more. In Church’s second novel, High Summer (1931), the protagonist Nora Holgate breaks away from an unhappy marriage and starts her own business. Critics agree that Church’s popular autobiographical trilogy—The Porch (1937), The Stronghold (1939), and The Room Within (1940)—is the author’s best work. The first volume sees young protagonist John Quickshott working for His Majesty’s Customs House in Billingsgate, London. An intellectual, his ambitions land him in competitive company. After his friend and competitor dies, he turns to civil service worker Dorothy. In The Stronghold, set during World War I, lovers Quickshott and Dorothy are reunited after the war. The Room Within sees Quickshott as a doctor married to Dorothy. Of particular note throughout is the Customs House and the war-time London background, elements which provide the novels with great verisimilitude.
Church’s children’s books include The Cave (1950), which chronicles the adventures of five boys after they discover a cave; Dog Toby (1953), an allegory about children and their dogs; and The White Doe (1968), in which a boy discovers a fawn. It has been said that his children’s novels carry multiple levels of meaning, for children as well as adults.
Church counts among his awards the 1938 Femina Vie Heureuse Prize, the 1955 Sunday Times gold medal for that year’s Over the Bridge, and the 1957 Foyle Poetry Prize. That year, he was also named commander of the Order of the British Empire. Church was popular among young readers as well as adults, who found his fiction appealing for its insights into human nature.