Edmund George Valpy Knox (10 May 1881 – 2 January 1971) was a British poet and

satirist This is an incomplete list of writers, cartoonists and others known for involvement in satire – humorous social criticism. They are grouped by era and listed by year of birth. Included is a list of modern satires. Early satirical authors *Aes ...

who wrote under the pseudonym Evoe. He was editor of '' Punch'' 1932–1949, having been a regular contributor in verse and prose for many years.

Life

Knox was the eldest son of Edmund Arbuthnott Knox, a descendant of John Arbuthnott, 8th Viscount of Arbuthnott. He was a brother of the Roman Catholic priest and author

Ronald Knox Ronald Arbuthnott Knox (17 February 1888 – 24 August 1957) was an English Catholic priest, theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an ...

, the codebreaker

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, the Anglican priest and New Testament scholar Wilfred Knox, the author Winifred Peck, and Ethel Knox. His daughter, the novelist

Penelope Fitzgerald Penelope Mary Fitzgerald (17 December 1916 – 28 April 2000) was a Booker Prize-winning novelist, poet, essayist and biographer from Lincoln, England. In 2008 ''The Times'' listed her among "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945". ''The Ob ...

, wrote a biography of the four brothers titled ''The Knox Brothers''. He was educated at

King Edward's School, Birmingham King Edward's School (KES) is an independent school (UK), independent day school for boys in the British Public school (UK), public school tradition, located in Edgbaston, Birmingham. Founded by Edward VI of England, King Edward VI in 1552, it ...

and Rugby. His first marriage was in 1912 to Christina Frances Hicks, born 1885. They had children

(born 1916, died 2000) and Edmund Rawle Valpy Knox (journalist, died 5 June 1994). Christina died in 1935. He remarried in 1937, to Mary Shepard, illustrator of ''

Mary Poppins Mary Poppins may refer to: * Mary Poppins (character), a nanny with magical powers * Mary Poppins (franchise), based on the fictional nanny ** Mary Poppins (book series), ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fanta ...

'' and daughter of E.H. Shepard who illustrated '' Winnie the Pooh'' and ''

The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and get ...

''. He served in the Lincolnshire Regiment during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and ''Punch'' reported in October 1917 that he had been wounded. As a poet, he was noted for his ability to provide topical satirical poems for ''Punch'' in the style of well-known contemporary poets such as John Drinkwater,

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer. He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967, during which time he lived at Burcot, Oxfordshire, near Abingdon ...

Walter de la Mare Walter John de la Mare (; 25 April 1873 – 22 June 1956) was an English poet, short story writer and novelist. He is probably best remembered for his works for children, for his poem "The Listeners", and for his psychological horror short fi ...

Edmund Blunden Edmund Charles Blunden (1 November 1896 – 20 January 1974) was an English poet, author, and critic. Like his friend Siegfried Sassoon, he wrote of his experiences in World War I in both verse and prose. For most of his career, Blunden was als ...

Robert Bridges Robert Seymour Bridges (23 October 1844 – 21 April 1930) was a British poet who was Poet Laureate from 1913 to 1930. A doctor by training, he achieved literary fame only late in life. His poems reflect a deep Christian faith, and he is ...

and J. C. Squire – usually managing to evoke the poet's general style and manner without resorting to parodying any particular poem. Although best known for satire, some of his more serious poems, written during the

Second World War 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 ...

while he held the editor's chair at ''Punch'', evoke by turns wistful nostalgia, grim determination, and a longing for eventual peace, often using metres from Greek or Latin poetry or historical English forms. Although for the greater part of his life an agnostic, he gradually drifted back into the Church of England. During the mid 1930s he edited the book series Methuen's Library of Humour.se:Methuen's library of humour / edited by E.V. Knox
worldcat.org. Retrieved 27 February 2024.

Books

Collections of Evoe's writings, usually reprinted from the pages of ''Punch'', were published as follows: *The Brazen Lyre (1911) *A Little Loot (1920) *Parodies Regained (1921) *These Liberties (1923) *Fiction as She is Wrote (1923) *An Hour from Victoria (1924) *Fancy Now (1924) *Quaint Specimens (1925) *Poems of Impudence (1926) *It Occurs to Me (1926) *Awful Occasions (1927) *I'll Tell the World (1928) *Gorgeous Times (1928) *Wonderful Outings (1928) *Here's Misery! (1928) *This Other Eden (1929) *Blue Feathers (1929) *Things that Annoy Me (1932) *Folly Calling (1932) *Slight Irritations (1933) *In My Old Days (1969)

Notes

References

* Penelope Fitzgerald, ''The Knox Brothers'', New York: Coward, McCann, & Geoghegan, 1977; revised edition, Washington, DC: Counterpoint, 2000.

External links

*

at

University of Toronto Libraries The University of Toronto Libraries system is the largest academic library in Canada and is ranked third among peer institutions in North America, behind only Harvard and Yale. The system consists of 40 libraries located on University of Toronto's ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knox, E. V. 1881 births 1971 deaths English people of Scottish descent English Anglicans English satirists People educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham English male poets 20th-century English poets Punch (magazine) people 20th-century English male writers