Herbert (Howard) Sergeant MBE (1914–1987) was a poet and editor from

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

and the publisher of Britain's oldest independent

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

magazine ''Outposts''. He was appointed MBE in 1978 for services to literature. He edited nearly 60

anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and ge ...

of contemporary poetry and was himself a poet of considerable talent. The Sergeant archive was deposited with

Hull University The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...

by his widow, Jean Sergeant, in 1998 and provides extensive coverage of the full range of his literary work. Sergeant was the subject of a

doctoral thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

by Bruce Meyer of

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

. ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...

'' obituary of

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 ...

, referring to her

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

''Curriculum Vitae'', stated:

The title was precise. A CV is an impersonal account of one's career suggesting progress from strength to strength. It now seems clear that she did love with passion one of the boyfriends mentioned: the poet, Howard Sergeant. Without passion but with great loyalty, she also loved the man whose misinformation had prompted Spark's desire to set the record straight: Derek Stanford. She had hoped, in turn, to marry both men, and both had deserted her. - ''The Scotsman''

He married Jean Crabtree in 1954. She survived him with a son and three daughters.

References

1914 births 1987 deaths 20th-century British poets Members_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire {{UK-poet-stub