Derek Stanford

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...

(11 October 1918 – 19 December 2008) was a British writer, known as a biographer, essayist and poet. Educated at Upper Latymer School,

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

, London, he was a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, serving in the

Non-Combatant Corps The Non-Combatant Corps (NCC) was a corps of the British Army composed of conscientious objectors as privates, with NCOs and officers seconded from other corps or regiments. Its members fulfilled various non-combatant roles in the army during the ...

. He edited ''Resistance'', a poetry magazine of just one issue, with David West in 1946. For a period in the early 1950s he worked with

Muriel Spark Dame Muriel Sarah Spark (; 1 February 1918 – 13 April 2006). was a List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist. Life Muriel Camberg was born in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, the daughter of Bernar ...

on several books, and was a supporter of hers (together with the eccentric poet Hugo Manning, a long-time friend), in the

Poetry Society The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry". The society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society ...

. Stanford described Spark's ousting in ''Inside the Forties''. Spark convinced him of the talent of

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer, whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Un ...

, and Stanford wrote an early book on Thomas shortly after his death. He is associated with the character Hector Bartlett in Muriel Spark's '' A Far Cry from Kensington'' (1988). Stanford died in 2008, aged 90, in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. His widow is the poet Julie Whitby.

Works

*''A Romantic Miscellany'' (1946) editor with John Bayliss *''The Freedom of Poetry: Studies in Contemporary Verse'' (1947) *''Music for Statues'' (1948) *''Tribute to

Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ...

: A Miscellany of Opinion for the Centenary of the Poet's Death'' (1950) editor with

*''

Christopher Fry Christopher Fry (18 December 1907 – 30 June 2005) was an English poet and playwright. He is best known for his verse dramas, especially '' The Lady's Not for Burning'', which made him a major force in theatre in the 1940s and 1950s. Biograp ...

: An Appreciation'' (1951) *''Christopher Fry Album'' (1952) *''

Emily Brontë Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English writer best known for her 1847 novel, ''Wuthering Heights''. She also co-authored a book of poetry with her sisters Charlotte Brontë, Charlotte and Anne Bront� ...

: her life and work'' (1953) with Muriel Spark *''My Best Mary (letters of

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...

)'' (1953) editor with Muriel Spark *''

: a literary study'' (1954) *''Letters of

John Henry Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English Catholic theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer, and poet. He was previously an Anglican priest and after his conversion became a cardinal. He was an ...

'' (1957) editor with Muriel Spark *''Fenelon's Letters to Men and Women'' (1957) editor *''

Anne Brontë Anne Brontë (, commonly ; 17 January 1820 – 28 May 1849) was an English novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family. Anne Brontë was the daughter of Maria ( Branwell) and Patrick Brontë, a poor Irish clergyman ...

: Her Life And Work'' (1959) with Ada Harrison *''

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architect ...

– A Study'' (1961) *''Muriel Spark: a Biographical and Critical Study'' (1963) *''Concealment and Revelation in

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...

'' (1965) *''Poets of the 'Nineties. A Biographical Anthology'' (1965) *''Prose of the Century'' (1966) *''The Body Of Love: An Anthology of Erotic Verse from

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He ...

to Lawrence'' (1966) editor *''

Aubrey Beardsley Aubrey Vincent Beardsley ( ; 21 August 187216 March 1898) was an English illustrator and author. His black ink drawings were influenced by Woodblock printing in Japan, Japanese woodcuts, and depicted the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. ...

's Erotic Universe'' (1967) *''Short Stories of the 'Nineties: A Biographical Anthology'' (1968) editor *''Movements in English poetry, 1900–1958'' (1969) *''

Stephen Spender Sir Stephen Harold Spender (28 February 1909 – 16 July 1995) was an English poet, novelist and essayist whose work concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle. He was appointed U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry ...

Louis MacNeice Frederick Louis MacNeice (12 September 1907 – 3 September 1963) was an Irish poet, playwright and producer for the BBC. Known for its exploration of introspection, empiricism, and belonging, his poetic work is now ranked among the twentieth ...

Cecil Day-Lewis Cecil Day-Lewis (or Day Lewis; 27 April 1904 – 22 May 1972), often written as C. Day-Lewis, was an Anglo-Irish poet and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudony ...

: a critical essay'' (1969) *''Critics of the 'Nineties'' (1970) *''Writing of the 'Nineties: From

Wilde Wilde is a surname. Notable people with the name include: In arts and entertainment In film, television, and theatre * Andrew Wilde (actor), English actor * Barbie Wilde (born 1960), Canadian actress * Brian Wilde (1927–2008), British actor * ...

to Beerbohm'' (1971) *''

Pre-Raphaelite The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, ...

Writing'' (1973) editor *''Three Poets of the Rhymers Club:

Ernest Dowson Ernest Christopher Dowson (2 August 186723 February 1900) was an English poet, novelist, and short-story writer who is often associated with the Decadent movement. Biography Ernest Dowson was born in Lee, London, Lee, then in Kent, in 1867. His ...

Lionel Johnson Lionel Pigot Johnson (15 March 1867 – 4 October 1902) was an English poet, essayist, and critic (although he claimed Irish descent and wrote on Celtic themes). Life Johnson was born in Broadstairs, Kent, England in 1867 and educated at Win ...

, John Davidson'' (1974) *''Inside the Forties: literary memoirs, 1937–1957'' (1977) *''The Memorare Sequence'' (1977) *''The Weather Within'' (1978) *''The Traveller Hears the Strange Machine: Selected Poems 1946–1979'' (1980) *''The Vision and Death of Aubrey Beardsley'' (1985)

Notes

External links

Obituary
by James Fergusson in The Independent
Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
Emory University
Derek Stanford collection, 1938–1979
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanford, Derek 1918 births 2008 deaths British conscientious objectors Personnel of the Non-Combatant Corps Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature English male poets 20th-century English poets 20th-century British biographers 20th-century English male writers British male biographers Military personnel from London People from Hammersmith Writers from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham