Lynette Roberts
Encyclopedia
Lynette Roberts was a Welsh poet, born Evelyn Beatrice Roberts in Buenos Aires
to parents of Welsh
extraction.
in the 1940s, where she painted and had poetry published by Faber and Faber
(Poems (1944), Gods with stainless ears: a heroic poem (1951)).
Roberts married the poet Keidrych Rhys
at Llansteffan
, and lived with him in relative poverty, compared with what she was used to, at Llanybri, the village immortalized in her "Poem from Llanybri". The poem was addressed to another poet, Alun Lewis
, to whom Roberts confessed to being attracted.
Lynette Roberts and Keidrych Rhys had two children (a daughter, Angharad, in April 1945, and a son, Prydein, in November 1946); they divorced in 1949.
Roberts is the dedicatee of Robert Graves
's The White Goddess
in its first edition, and provided much of the Welsh material used by him.
and T. S. Eliot
, an essay on "village dialect" and short stories – appeared in 2008. An unpublished novel, Nesta, written in 1944, is apparently lost (but see TLS article of 6 November 2009, which indicates that it has been discovered).
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
to parents of Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
extraction.
Life
She moved to London while still young, where she studied at the Central School for Arts and Crafts (now part of Central St Martins College of Art and Design). She settled in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in the 1940s, where she painted and had poetry published by Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
(Poems (1944), Gods with stainless ears: a heroic poem (1951)).
Roberts married the poet Keidrych Rhys
Keidrych Rhys
William Ronald Rhys Jones , who used the name Keidrych Rhys, was a Welsh literary journalist and editor, and a poet. He was married to Lynette Roberts from 1939 to 1949...
at Llansteffan
Llansteffan
Llansteffan is a village in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Llansteffan is one of three settlements positioned on the Tywi river, other settlements include Ferryside and Carmarthen . Llansteffan Castle, built by the Normans in the 12th century, is located in the village...
, and lived with him in relative poverty, compared with what she was used to, at Llanybri, the village immortalized in her "Poem from Llanybri". The poem was addressed to another poet, Alun Lewis
Alun Lewis
Alun Lewis , was a poet of the Anglo-Welsh school, and is regarded by many as Britain's finest Second World War poet.- Education :...
, to whom Roberts confessed to being attracted.
Lynette Roberts and Keidrych Rhys had two children (a daughter, Angharad, in April 1945, and a son, Prydein, in November 1946); they divorced in 1949.
Roberts is the dedicatee of Robert Graves
Robert Graves
Robert von Ranke Graves 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985 was an English poet, translator and novelist. During his long life he produced more than 140 works...
's The White Goddess
The White Goddess
The White Goddess: a Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth is a book-length essay on the nature of poetic myth-making by author and poet Robert Graves. First published in 1948, based on earlier articles published in Wales magazine, corrected, revised and enlarged editions appeared in 1948, 1952 and 1961...
in its first edition, and provided much of the Welsh material used by him.
Writing
The Endeavour: Captain Cook's first voyage to Australia (1954) was a prose work. Later in life, she repudiated her work and refused to permit it to be reprinted. An edition of her collected poems was issued by Seren Press after her death but immediately withdrawn because of legal problems with the Roberts estate; a new Poems finally appeared in 2006 from Carcanet, edited by Patrick McGuinness. A volume of miscellaneous prose – diaries from her time in Llanybri, correspondence with Robert Graves, memoirs of the SitwellsEdith Sitwell
Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell DBE was a British poet and critic.-Background:Edith Sitwell was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, the oldest child and only daughter of Sir George Sitwell, 4th Baronet, of Renishaw Hall; he was an expert on genealogy and landscaping...
and T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
, an essay on "village dialect" and short stories – appeared in 2008. An unpublished novel, Nesta, written in 1944, is apparently lost (but see TLS article of 6 November 2009, which indicates that it has been discovered).
External links
- Lynette Roberts at Carcanet Press (includes text of various reviews of the Collected Poems)
- 'Lynette Roberts - our greatest female war poet ?', BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, 30 March 2006 (Audio archive. Accessed : 22.03.08)
- Patrick McGuinness, 'Rediscovering a Modernist Classic: Lynette Roberts (1909-1995)', Transcript: European internet review of books and writing, no.22
- Alan Tucker, Review essay of Collected poems (Carcanet, 2005) in FlashPoint, Spring 2006, Web Issue 8
- John Wilkinson, 'The Brain's Tent: Lynette Robert's Collected Poems, (Boston Review, Sept/Oct 2006)