John Clive Hall (12 September 1920 – 14 October 2011) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and editor.

Poetry

Hall's poetry was first published when he was aged seventeen in the anthology, ''The Best Poems of 1938''. He subsequently wrote and published a trickle of short poems over seven further decades. Not a modernist, he was included in

Dannie Abse Daniel Abse Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE FRSL (22 September 1923 – 28 September 2014) was a Welsh poet and physician. His poetry won him many awards. As a medic, he worked in a chest clinic for over 30 years. Early years ...

's 'reactionary anthology' ''Mavericks''. His work was admired by

Philip Larkin Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, '' The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, '' Jill'' (1946) and '' A Girl in Winter'' (194 ...

who described it as, "just the sort of thing I should like to have done myself" and by

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry is noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in tone, ...

who wrote "in the poems of J. C. Hall we see a craftsmanship that yields to the reader constant pleasure and enjoyment. J. C. Hall should be better known." A Trevor Tolley judged "his work has a carefulness that makes one ready to accept his small output as a mark of spiritual and poetic integrity".

Life

Born in Ealing, London and brought up in

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...

, Hall attended

Leighton Park School Leighton Park School is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private school for both day and boarding pupils in Reading, Berkshire, Reading in South East England. The school's ethos is closely tied to the Quaker values, having ...

and

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...

. He was an editor of the literary periodical '' Fords and Bridges'' at Oxford and became good friends with

Keith Douglas Keith Castellain Douglas (24 January 1920 – 9 June 1944) was an English poet and soldier noted for his war poetry during the Second World War and his wry memoir of the Western Desert campaign, '' Alamein to Zem Zem''. He was killed in action ...

. As a pacifist he did farm work during the war and when Douglas was killed in Normandy, Hall was named as his literary executor. He worked at ''

The London Magazine ''The London Magazine'' is the title of six different publications that have appeared in succession since 1732. All six have focused on the arts, literature and poetry. A number of Nobel Laureates, including Annie Ernaux, Albert Camus, Doris Les ...

'' and at

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 ...

's '' Encounter'' as an editor. He edited the Collected Poems of

Edwin Muir Edwin Muir CBE (15 May 1887 – 3 January 1959) was a Scottish poet, novelist and translator. Born on a farm in Deerness, a parish of Orkney, Scotland, he is remembered for his deeply felt and vivid poetry written in plain language and wit ...

for Faber and Faber in 1952. A group photographic portrait of Hall, with fellow poets

, David John Murray Wright,

Anthony Cronin Anthony Gerard Richard Cronin (28 December 1923 – 27 December 2016) was an Irish poet, arts activist, biographer, commentator, critic, editor and barrister. Early life and family Cronin was born in Enniscorthy, County Wexford on 28 Decembe ...

and John Smith is held by the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

Bibliography

Poetry collections

* ''The Summer Dance and Other Poems'' (John Lehmann, London 1951) * ''The Burning Hare'' (Chatto & Windus / Hogarth Press 1966 ) * ''A House of Voices'' (Phoenix Living Poet Series, Chatto & Windus/Hogarth, 1973) * ''Selected and New Poems 1939–84'' (Secker & Warburg, 1986) * ''Long Shadows'' (Shoestring 2003, repr. Faber & Faber 2010)

Anthologies and Shared Collections

* ''Selected Poems'' (

, J.C. Hall,

Norman Nicholson Norman Cornthwaite Nicholson (8 January 1914 – 30 May 1987) was an English writer. Although he is now known chiefly for his poetry, Nicholson also wrote in many other forms: novels, plays, essays, topography and criticism. Biography Nich ...

) (1943) * ''Mavericks: An Anthology'', (

Howard Sergeant Herbert (Howard) Sergeant MBE (1914–1987) was a poet and editor from Hull and the publisher of Britain's oldest independent poetry magazine ''Outposts''. He was appointed MBE in 1978 for services to literature. He edited nearly 60 antholog ...

and

(eds), Editions Poetry and Poverty, London, 1957)

References

Sources

External links

Landscape with Figure: World War II poet Keith Douglas – Hall was recorded for a BBC radio program on Keith Douglas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, J. C. 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English poets 1920 births 2011 deaths People educated at Leighton Park School Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford People from Ealing Writers from London Poets from London