Sir Arthur
Thoma Quiller-Couch (21
November 1863 - 12 May 1944) was a Cornish writer, who published under the pen
name of Q. He is
primarily remembered for the monumental "Oxford Book of English Verse
1250-1900" (later extended to 1918), and for his literary criticism. He guided the taste of many who never met him, including American writer Helene Hanff, author of 84 Charing Cross Road, its sequel, Q's Legacy, and the putatively fictional Horace
Rumpole via John Mortimer, his literary amanuensis.
Born
at Bodmin in Cornwall to the union of two ancient Cornish
families, the Quiller family and the Couch
family. He forms one generation in a dynasty of prominent intellectuals in his
line. His sisters Florence and Lilian were also writers and folklorists (The Age). His father, Dr. Thomas Quiller-Couch, was a
noted physician, folklorist and historian (see The Gentleman's Magazine). His grandfather, Dr. Jonathan Couch, was a very prominent figure, also a physician, historian, classicist,
apothecary, and an important naturalist and illustrator in the style of the
time. His son, Bevil, was a war hero and poet, whose romantic letters to his
fiance were published in the beautiful but tragic, Tears of War. He also had a daughter, Foy.
He was
educated at Newton Abbot College, at Clifton College, and Trinity College,
Oxford and later became a
lecturer there.
On
taking his degree in 1886 he was for a short time classical lecturer at
Trinity. After some journalistic experience in London,
mainly as a contributor to the Speaker, in 1891 he settled at Fowey in Cornwall.
In
Cornwall he was an active worker in politics for the Liberal Party. He was knighted in 1910.
Quiller-Couch
was made a Bard of Gorseth
Kernow in 1928, taking the Bardic name Marghak Cough ('Red Knight'). He was
Commodore of the Royal Fowey Yacht
Club from 1911 until his
death.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Quiller-Couch
