Thomas Forbes
Encyclopedia
Thomas Forbes was an English poet and painter. He is considered part of the Post-Aesthetic Movement.
, he was the eldest of three to Robert Forbes and Amelie Racine. His parents had previously lived in Paris selling paintings and working as plongeurs (kitchen and dishwasher assistants) before returning to raise their son in London
.
He spent his early years at 15 Grosvenor Gardens, where his father befriended the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne
who occasionally looked after Thomas as a toddler,reading him poetry and ballads before he slept. The Family later moved to 7 Bellevue Road, North London where he grew up.
He attended Northside Primary School in Barnet
, where his first poems have been recorded to have been written from the age of five.
It is believed that Swinburne's ballads had induced Thomas to write.
It was his father, however, who influenced him to paint. It is understood that Thomas would enter his father's studio at their home without permission and alter his paintings.His father would hear him and enter the room and send him back to bed.
They spent a lot of time together in the studio and occasionally collaborated on several paintings.
It wasn't until the age of seventeen that Thomas Forbes became serious about painting and writing Poetry. He met the poet Stevie Smith through his younger brother and the two became quite close, writing together in until Thomas went to the University of Liverpool
to study English literature
.
At university he met and fell in love with fellow student and poet Emily Roe-Darley. The poem "My English Rose" (1921) is about her.
In his second year he left the course and returned to London with Emily after becoming anxious and homesick. The two married and lived together in Highgate
, London to concentrate on writing and painting. His bouts of anxiety and depression during his time at university are highlighted in the early writings of Dear Poetic Conscience.
Thomas Forbes is mostly known for his written works Dear Poetic Conscience (1922) and Dream Stream (1941). His poetry has been described by critics as being "pleasantly blunt and cutting." His work is also notable for its arrogant use of his own made-up slang. He sold only a dozen paintings in his lifetime. Most of his other artwork accompanied his poetry.
During the Second World War, he wrote a lot of war poetry from his perception of the front line rather than of the soldiers. The poem which gained most success from the War over our head (1944) series is entitled "This is our Trench".
, Paul Verlaine
, and his wife Emily Roe-Darley.
It is considered by many as being in diary form rather than poetry. Though much of the book is written in free verse, its rhythmic structure maintains its poetic characteristics.
It opens with "Look at what you've got yourself here, a new book for a new year."
Roe-Darley also had her own entries submitted in the final edition.
and the majority of money he earned from publishing his work was spent on repairs. He fell into a depression and attempted a failed double suicide with his wife.
Cash-strapped, Thomas Forbes moved alone back to his birthplace, Paris.
It is said that he completed only a few paintings and had virtually given up on writing poetry. The only piece of work recorded by Thomas Forbes in Paris was written weeks before his death and was entitled "Is it fair, Lumiere?" (1988). Thomas Forbes died of alcohol-related problems in Paris on January 31, 1988. He is buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery
in Paris.
Birth and Early life
Born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, he was the eldest of three to Robert Forbes and Amelie Racine. His parents had previously lived in Paris selling paintings and working as plongeurs (kitchen and dishwasher assistants) before returning to raise their son in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
He spent his early years at 15 Grosvenor Gardens, where his father befriended the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Algernon Charles Swinburne was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He invented the roundel form, wrote several novels, and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica...
who occasionally looked after Thomas as a toddler,reading him poetry and ballads before he slept. The Family later moved to 7 Bellevue Road, North London where he grew up.
He attended Northside Primary School in Barnet
Barnet
High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a twelfth-century settlement and is located north north-west of Charing Cross. Its name is often abbreviated to Barnet, which is also the name of the London...
, where his first poems have been recorded to have been written from the age of five.
It is believed that Swinburne's ballads had induced Thomas to write.
It was his father, however, who influenced him to paint. It is understood that Thomas would enter his father's studio at their home without permission and alter his paintings.His father would hear him and enter the room and send him back to bed.
They spent a lot of time together in the studio and occasionally collaborated on several paintings.
It wasn't until the age of seventeen that Thomas Forbes became serious about painting and writing Poetry. He met the poet Stevie Smith through his younger brother and the two became quite close, writing together in until Thomas went to the University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
to study English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
.
At university he met and fell in love with fellow student and poet Emily Roe-Darley. The poem "My English Rose" (1921) is about her.
In his second year he left the course and returned to London with Emily after becoming anxious and homesick. The two married and lived together in Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
, London to concentrate on writing and painting. His bouts of anxiety and depression during his time at university are highlighted in the early writings of Dear Poetic Conscience.
Works
Forbes's early poetry is extremely difficult to get hold of.Thomas Forbes is mostly known for his written works Dear Poetic Conscience (1922) and Dream Stream (1941). His poetry has been described by critics as being "pleasantly blunt and cutting." His work is also notable for its arrogant use of his own made-up slang. He sold only a dozen paintings in his lifetime. Most of his other artwork accompanied his poetry.
During the Second World War, he wrote a lot of war poetry from his perception of the front line rather than of the soldiers. The poem which gained most success from the War over our head (1944) series is entitled "This is our Trench".
Dear Poetic Conscience (1922)
In Dear Poetic Conscience, written at university, Forbes explores the relationship between himself and as poet. Aspiring to be a poet from an early age, these works ask questions of what it takes to be a poet and he makes reference to Arthur RimbaudArthur Rimbaud
Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud was a French poet. Born in Charleville, Ardennes, he produced his best known works while still in his late teens—Victor Hugo described him at the time as "an infant Shakespeare"—and he gave up creative writing altogether before the age of 21. As part of the decadent...
, Paul Verlaine
Paul Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry.-Early life:...
, and his wife Emily Roe-Darley.
It is considered by many as being in diary form rather than poetry. Though much of the book is written in free verse, its rhythmic structure maintains its poetic characteristics.
It opens with "Look at what you've got yourself here, a new book for a new year."
Roe-Darley also had her own entries submitted in the final edition.
Later life and death
After the war, his house in Highgate was left badly damaged by German bomb raidsThe Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
and the majority of money he earned from publishing his work was spent on repairs. He fell into a depression and attempted a failed double suicide with his wife.
Cash-strapped, Thomas Forbes moved alone back to his birthplace, Paris.
It is said that he completed only a few paintings and had virtually given up on writing poetry. The only piece of work recorded by Thomas Forbes in Paris was written weeks before his death and was entitled "Is it fair, Lumiere?" (1988). Thomas Forbes died of alcohol-related problems in Paris on January 31, 1988. He is buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery
Père Lachaise Cemetery
Père Lachaise Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the city of Paris, France , though there are larger cemeteries in the city's suburbs.Père Lachaise is in the 20th arrondissement, and is reputed to be the world's most-visited cemetery, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the...
in Paris.