Geoffrey Brereton (1906 – 1979) was a scholar and critic of

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by French people, French citizens; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of Franc ...

and

Spanish literature Spanish literature is literature ( Spanish poetry, prose, and drama) written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the Kingdom of Spain. Its development coincides and frequently intersects with that of other ...

.R.C.K.
"Geoffrey Brereton (1906–1979)"
''

French Studies ''French Studies'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for French Studies. It was established in 1947 and covers all periods of French and francophone literature and culture. ...

'', Volume XXXIII, Issue 4, October 1979, pp. 502-503. Retrieved 21 September 2021.J.C.
"Dr. Geoffrey Brereton (1906-1979)"
''Seventeenth-Century French Studies Newsletter'', 2:1, 4-4 (1980). Retrieved 21 September 2021.

Education

Geoffrey Brereton studied

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

and took a doctorate thesis in Paris on

José de Espronceda José Ignacio Javier Oriol Encarnación de Espronceda y Delgado (25 March 1808 – 23 May 1842) was a Romantic Spanish poet, one of the most representative authors of the 19th century. He was influenced by Eugenio de Ochoa, Federico Madrazo, ...

. He did some school teaching and taught and practised

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

, being a

foreign correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

for several newspapers, including the ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

''. At the outbreak of 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 ...

joined the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

French Service in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, as writer and eventually director.

Works

His first scholarly publication, ''Jean Racine: A Critical Biography'' (1951), has been described as the best full study of

Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ; ; 22 December 1639 – 21 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille, as well as an important literary figure in the Western tra ...

's life and works in English. He also wrote a ''Short History of French Literature'' (1954), an ''Introduction to the French Poets'' (1956), and edited the ''Penguin Book of French Verse'', vol. 2 (1958). Initially funded by a

Leverhulme The Leverhulme Trust () is a large national grant-making organisation in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1925 under the will of the 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), with the instruction that its resources should be used to cover ...

Fellowship, the last part of his research was spent studying the French classical theatre and saw the publication of ''Principles of Tragedy'' (1968), ''French Tragic Drama'' (1973) and ''French Comic Drama'' (1977). All of his work as author, editor, translator and reviewer was done as a freelance, and rarely saw direct academic recognition. While being written a "wide, general readership", his works still contained "original, succinct, and often thought-provoking judgments". A "fundamentally shy and engagingly modest man" with a "quiet and delightful sense of humour", he made a distinctive and distinguished contribution to French studies" in the United Kingdom and "placed many readers permanently in his debt".

Bibliography

As an author

* ''Inside Spain'', London: Quality Press, 1938 * ''Jean Racine: A Critical Biography'', London: Cassell, 1951 * ''A Short History of French Literature'', Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1954 (Pelican books, A297) * ''Principles of Tragedy: A Rational Examination of the Tragic Concept in Life and Literature'', London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1968 * ''An Introduction to French Poets: Villon to the Present Day'', London: Methuen, 1956; 2nd edition, 1973 * ''French Tragic Drama in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries'', London: Methuen, 1973 (University Paperbacks, 498) * ''French Comic Drama from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century'', London: Methuen, 1977 (University Paperbacks, 607)

As an editor

* ''The Penguin Book of French Verse, 2: Sixteenth to Eighteenth Centuries'', Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1954 (Penguin Poets, D43) * ''Les Mains Sales'', Jean-Paul Sartre, Methuen & Co., London, 1966

As a translator

* Jean Froissart, ''Chronicles'', Baltimore: Penguin, 1968 (Penguin Classics, L200)Penguin Classics - Book Series List
publishinghistory.com. Retrieved 22 September 2021. * Charles Perrault, ''Fairy Tales'', Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1957 (Penguin Classics, L69)Penguin Translators
penguinfirsteditions.com. Retrieved 21 September 2021.

References

External links

* George T. Northup
Review of ''Quelques précisions sur les sources d'Espronceda'' by Geoffrey Brereton, ''Hispanic Review''
Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jul., 1934), pp. 257–259 {{DEFAULTSORT:Brereton, Geoffrey 1906 births 1979 deaths Literary critics of French Literary critics of Spanish British translators