Nevill Coghill
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Nevill Henry Kendal Aylmer Coghill (19 April 1899 – 6 November 1980) was an English literary scholar, known especially for his modern English version of Geoffrey Chaucer's ''
Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' ( enm, Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's ''magnum opus ...
''.


Life

His father was Sir Egerton Coghill, 5th Baronet and his younger brother the actor Ambrose Coghill. Coghill was educated at Haileybury, and read History and English at
Exeter College, Oxford (Let Exeter Flourish) , old_names = ''Stapeldon Hall'' , named_for = Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter , established = , sister_college = Emmanuel College, Cambridge , rector = Sir Richard Trainor ...
. In 1924 he became a Fellow of the college, a position he held until 1957, and there is a small
bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places * Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazin ...
of him in the college chapel. He served with the Royal Field Artillery in the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
from 1917 to 1919. In 1927 he married Elspeth Nora Harley, with whom he had a daughter; the marriage was dissolved in 1933. In 1948, he was made Professor of Rhetoric at
Gresham College Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in Central London, England. It does not enroll students or award degrees. It was founded in 1596 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham, and hosts ove ...
. He was Merton Professor of English Literature at the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
from 1957 to 1966. He died in November 1980. His Chaucer and Langland translations were first made for
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
radio broadcasts. He was well known during his time as a theatrical producer and director in
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
; he is noted particularly as the director of the
Oxford University Dramatic Society The Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) is the principal funding body and provider of theatrical services to the many independent student productions put on by students in Oxford, England. Not all student productions at Oxford University ...
1949 production of '' The Tempest''. He was an associate of the literary discussion group " The Inklings", which was attended by a number of notable Oxford Dons, including
J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...
and C. S. Lewis, as well as Oxford alumnus
Owen Barfield Arthur Owen Barfield (9 November 1898 – 14 December 1997) was a British philosopher, author, poet, critic, and member of the Inklings. Life Barfield was born in London, to Elizabeth (née Shoults; 1860–1940) and Arthur Edward Barfield (186 ...
. In 1968, he collaborated with Martin Starkie to co-write the West-End and
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
musical ''
Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' ( enm, Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's ''magnum opus ...
''. The musical was a great success internationally, receiving four Tony nominations. In 1973, the same team collaborated on a sequel ''The homeward Ride'' comprising more of Chaucer's Tale. To date, this has been premiered only in Australia. In a memoir,
Reynolds Price Edward Reynolds Price (February 1, 1933 – January 20, 2011) was an American poet, novelist, dramatist, essayist and James B. Duke Professor of English at Duke University. Apart from English literature, Price had a lifelong interest in Biblical ...
writes:
Nevill himself was born in 1899, served in the First War, married, fathered a daughter, then separated from his wife and lived a quietly homosexual life thereafter. He later spoke to me of several romances with men, but he apparently never established a residence with any of them; and until his retirement from Oxford, he always lived in his college rooms.


Works

*''The Pardon of Piers Plowman'' (1945) *''The Masque of Hope'' (1948) *''Visions from Piers Plowman'' (1949) *''The Poet Chaucer'' (1949; 2nd ed. 1967) *''The Canterbury Tales Translated into Modern English'' (1952) *''Geoffrey Chaucer'' (1956) *''Shakespeare's Professional Skills'' (1964) *''Langland: Piers Plowman'' (1964) *''Chaucer's Idea of What Is Noble'' (1971), *''Collected Papers'' (1988),


Screenplay adaptation and director

* ''Doctor Faustus'', (1967)


See also

* List of Gresham Professors of Rhetoric


References


Further reading

* John Lawlor and
W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...
, editors (1966). ''To Nevill Coghill from Friends''. Festschrift. * Glyer, Diana (2007). ''The Company They Keep: C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien as Writers in Community''. . *


External links

* *Translated Penguin Book - at
Penguin First Editions
reference site of early first edition Penguin Books. {{DEFAULTSORT:Coghill, Nevill 1899 births 1980 deaths People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Fellows of Exeter College, Oxford Fellows of Merton College, Oxford Professors of Gresham College Younger sons of baronets Inklings Linguists from England Chaucer scholars Merton Professors of English Literature LGBT people from England Gay academics