Naomi Lewis (3 September 1911 – 5 July 2009) was a British poet, essayist, literary critic, anthologist and reteller of stories for children. She is particularly noted for her translations of the Danish children's author,

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

, as well as for her critical reviews and essays. She was a recipient of the

Eleanor Farjeon Award The Eleanor Farjeon Award is made for distinguished service to the world of British children's books and is given to someone whose commitment and contribution is deemed to be outstanding. Founded in 1966, it is presented annually in memory of the c ...

. Lewis was an advocate of

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

and was known to rescue injured pigeons and stray cats."Naomi Lewis"
theguardian.com. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2023.

Early life

Born in

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

to a Latvian Jewish father who was a fish merchant, she was the second of four siblings."Naomi Lewis: Poet and celebrated anthologist of British children's literature"
independent.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2023. Her mother was a talented artist and musician. Due to the antisemitism of the 1930s, the family took the mother's surname, Lewis. They moved to London's

Red Lion Square Red Lion Square is a small square in Holborn, London. The square was laid out in 1684 by Nicholas Barbon, taking its name from the Red Lion Inn. According to some sources, the bodies of three regicides—Oliver Cromwell, John Bradshaw and H ...

in 1935, into the block of flats in which Naomi was to reside until her death. Lewis went to Great Yarmouth High School and won a scholarship to study English at

Westfield College Westfield College was a small college situated in Hampstead, London, from 1882 to 1989. It was the first college to aim to educate women for University of London degrees from its opening. The college originally admitted only women as students and ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

Career

Following a number of jobs working as a teacher and a copywriter, she started her career as a writer after the Second World War by entering the weekly competitions run by 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 ...

''. Quickly noticed by her contemporaries as an intelligent and insightful critic, she went on to produce regular articles for the ''New Statesman'', as well as for ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'', ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'', the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' and the ''

Listener Listener(s) or The Listener(s) may refer to: Literature * The Listener (magazine), ''The Listener'' (magazine), a 1929–1991 British weekly covering broadcast media * ''New Zealand Listener'', weekly magazine covering politics and culture * The L ...

''. Her first published work, '' A Visit to Mrs. Wilcox'' (1957) included a selection of these articles and won immediate acclaim, becoming a Book Society recommendation. In an article published in '' Essays in Criticism'' (1951), Albert Gerard cites a sentence from her, indicating an invaluable comparison she made between Coleridge and Keats, a comparison that had not been made earlier than her time in essence the way she originally suggested: “modern judgement, it seems, can accept either Coleridge or Keats – not both.” Indeed, she was one of the first critics to elaborate on a specific aspect of modern thinking in that Coleridge was a man of ideas dealing with the abstract, the spiritual and the ideal, whereas Keats was a man of concrete experience and tangible sense of observation. She was thus one of the proponents of twentieth-century thought which states that spirituality and tangible senses had better be separated conceptually. Over the sixty years of her literary career, Lewis produced a vast number of works; as a reviewer, an anthologist and as a poet in her own right. Notable amongst these was '' A Footprint on the Air'' (1983) an anthology of nature verse named after her own poem and '' Messages'' (1985), a celebrated collection of poetry which included three of her own original poems: '' The Wolf said to Francis'' (under the pseudonym A. G. Rochelle), ''

Counsel A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''. The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...

'', and '' Creatures of Early Morning''. In 2000, ''Messages'' was chosen by the U.K's first Children's Laureate,

Quentin Blake Sir Quentin Saxby Blake (born 16 December 1932) is an English cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and children's writer. He has illustrated over 300 books, including 18 written by Roald Dahl, which are among his most popular works. For his l ...

, as one of his fifty favorite books ('' The Laureate's Party'',

Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...

). Naomi herself was particularly fond of the 1993 publication '' The Mardi Gras Cat'', in which she presented a carefully selected gallery of feline personalities, each immortalized in poetry. Lewis taught poetry appreciation and creative writing at London's City Literary Institute for many years, and due to popular demand went on doing so well past the official age of retirement. Some of the poems produced in that class were included in ''Messages'', alongside lifelong favorites

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian literature, Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentar ...

, Stevie Smith and

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

. She also lectured periodically at the

South Place Ethical Society The Conway Hall Ethical Society, formerly the South Place Ethical Society, based in London at Conway Hall, is thought to be the oldest surviving freethought organisation in the world and is the only remaining ethical society in the United King ...

, where she was a long-time member. Among the various subjects were talks on her favorite children's authors

and

Andrew Lang Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 – 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a folkloristics, collector of folklore, folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectur ...

and the Italian author and holocaust survivor

Primo Levi Primo Michele Levi (; 31 July 1919 – 11 April 1987) was a Jewish Italian chemist, partisan, Holocaust survivor and writer. He was the author of several books, collections of short stories, essays, poems and one novel. His best-known works i ...

, whose work she championed from its first publication in the UK.

Personal life

Lewis was a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

and advocate of animal rights. She opposed all forms of animal mistreatment. She complained in a letter to the ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'', "What moral right have humans to lay on sensitive creatures the sufferings of their own vanity, greed and cowardice, and a host of various sins?" Due to her habit of rescuing stray cats and injured pigeons around her home her Bloomsbury neighborhood, she was featured on the BBC program '' London Identities'' and made the subject of a national newspaper article. She used to take the injured pigeons to the restrooms at

Conway Hall Conway Hall in Red Lion Square, London, is the headquarters of the Conway Hall Ethical Society. It is a Grade II listed building. History The building was commissioned by the South Place Ethical Society, which had previously been accommodated ...

to give them a safe space to practice flying.

Awards

Lewis was honored with the

for services to children's literature in 1975 and by her election as Fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

in 1981.

Bibliography

As an author

* '' A Visit to Mrs. Wilcox'' (for adults; essays),

Cresset Press The Cresset Press was a publishing company in London, England, active as an independent press from 1927 for 40 years, and initially specializing in "expensively illustrated limited editions of classical works, like John Milton, Milton's ''Paradise ...

(London), 1957. * '' The Butterfly Collector'' (Author of verse text), illustrated by Fulvio Testa,

Andersen Press Andersen Press is a British book publishing company. It was founded in 1976 by Klaus Flugge, and was named after Hans Christian Andersen "because it is easier to pronounce and spell than Flugge". Random House has a holding in the company and a ...

(London), 1978,

Prentice-Hall Prentice Hall was a major American educational publisher. It published print and digital content for the 6–12 and higher-education market. It was an independent company throughout the bulk of the twentieth century. In its last few years it ...

(New York), 1979. * ''

Leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

'' (Author of verse text), illustrated by Fulvio Testa, Andersen Press (London), 1980, Peter Bedrick (New York), 1983. * '' Once upon a Rainbow'', illustrated by Gabriele Eichenauer,

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a British publishing firm headquartered in London and founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard (1893–1968) set up the publishing house in ...

(London), 1981. * '' Come with Us'' (poems), illustrations by Leo Lionni, Andersen Press (London), 1982. * '' Marco Polo and Wellington: Search for Solomon'' (With Janice Thompson), Jonathan Cape (London), 1982. * ''

Puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...

'' (With Deborah King), Jonathan Cape (London), Lothrop, Lee & Shepard (New York), 1984. * ''

Swan Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe (biology) ...

'' (With Deborah King), Jonathan Cape (London), Lothrop, Lee & Shepard (New York), 1985. * '' A School Bewitched'' (based on

Edith Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children and others as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political ...

's '' Fortunatus Rex, or The Mystery of the Disappearing Schoolgirls''), illustrated by Errol Le Cain, Blackie (London), 1985. * '' The Stepsister'', illustrated by

Allison Reed Allison Lynn Reed (born June 8, 1994) is a Lithuanian-American ice dancer who currently competes for Lithuania with Saulius Ambrulevičius. They are the European Figure Skating Championships, 2024 European bronze medalists, three-time ISU Grand ...

, Hutchinson (London), Dial Books (New York City), 1987. * '' Johnny Longnose'' (With James Kruess) (picture book with poetry by Lewis), illustrated by Stasys Eidrigevicius, North-South Books (New York), 1989. * '' The Mardi Gras Cat'' (poetry), Heinemann (London), 1993.

Works retold

* '' The Three Golden Hairs: A Story from the Brothers Grimm'', illustrated by Francoise Tresy, Hutchinson (

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

), 1983. * '' Jutta Ash, Jorinda and Joringel'' (based on '' Jorinde und Joringel'' by the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm (1786–1859), were Germans, German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of Oral tradit ...

Andersen Andersen () is a Danish- Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Anders" (itself derived from the Greek name " Ανδρέας/Andreas", cf. English Andrew). It is the fifth most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 3.2% of the populati ...

(

), 1984. * '' Stories from the Arabian Nights'' (and author of introduction), illustrated by

Anton Pieck Anton Franciscus Pieck (19 April 1895 – 24 November 1987) was a Dutch painter, artist and graphic artist. His works are noted for their nostalgic or fairy tale-like character and are widely popular, appearing regularly on cards and calendars. H ...

, Methuen (

), Holt (

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, NY), 1987. * '' Cry Wolf and Other Aesop Fables'', illustrated by Barry Castle, Methuen (

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

(

, NY), 1988.

Works translated

* '' South from the Red Sea'' by Haroun Tazieff, Lutterworth Press (

), 1956. * '' Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales'' (and author of notes and introduction) by

, illustrated by Philip Gough,

(

), 1981. * ''

The Wild Swans "The Wild Swans" () is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a princess who rescues her 11 brothers from a spell cast by an evil queen. The tale was first published on 2 October 1838 in Andersen's '' Fairy Tales Told for C ...

'', by

, illustrated by Angela Barrett, E. Benn (

), Peter Bedrick (

, NY), 1984. * '' The Flying Trunk and Other Stories from Hans Andersen'',

(

, NY), 1986. * '' My Magic Cloth: A Story for a Whole Week'' by Heide Helene Beisert, illustrated by Beisert, North-South Books (

, and

, NY), 1986. * '' Wedding Birds'' by Jutta Ash, (adapted from a traditional German song),

(

), 1986. * '' The Swineherd'', by

, illustrated by Dorothee Duntze, North-South Books (

, NY), 1987. * ''

The Snow Queen "The Snow Queen" () is an 1844 original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published 21 December 1844 in ''New Fairy Tales. First Volume#New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection, New Fairy Tales. First Vo ...

'' (and author of introduction), by

, illustrated by Angela Barrett, Holt (

, NY), 1988. * '' Proud Knight, Fair Lady: The Twelve Lais of Marie de France'' (and author of introduction), illustrated by Angela Barrett,

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

(

, NY), 1989. * '' The Frog Prince, or Iron Henry'',

Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

and

Wilhelm Grimm Wilhelm Carl Grimm (also Karl; 24 February 178616 December 1859) was a German author, philologist and anthropologist. He was the younger brother of Jacob Grimm, of the literary duo the Brothers Grimm. Life and work Wilhelm was born in February 1 ...

, illustrated by Binette Schroeder, North-South Books (

, NY), 1989. * '' The Tale of the Vanishing Rainbow'' by Siegfried P. Rupprecht, illustrated by Jozef Wilkon, North-South Books (

, NY), 1989. * '' The Nightingale'' (and author of introduction) by

, illustrated by Josef Paleček, North-South Books (

, NY), 1990. * ''

Three Kings In Christianity, the Biblical Magi ( or ; singular: ), also known as the Three Wise Men, Three Kings, and Three Magi, are distinguished foreigners who visit Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in homage to hi ...

'' by Kurt Baumann, illustrated by Ivan Gantschev, North-South Books (

, NY), 1990. * ''

Thumbelina Thumbelina (; ) is a literary fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published by C. A. Reitzel on 16 December 1835 in Copenhagen, Denmark, with "The Naughty Boy" and "The Travelling Companion" in the se ...

'', by

, North-South Books (

, NY), 1990. * ''

The Steadfast Tin Soldier "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" () is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a tin soldier's love for a paper ballerina. The tale was first published in Copenhagen by C.A. Reitzel on 2 October 1838 in the first booklet of ''Fair ...

'', by

, illustrated by P. J. Lynch,

(

), 1991, Harcourt (

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, CA), 1992. * '' The Hungry One: A Poem'' by Kurt Baumann, illustrated by Stasys Eidrigevicius, North-South Books (

, NY), 1993. * ''

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" (; ; ; ) is a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master. The oldest written telling version ...

'' by

Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , , ; 12 January 162816 May 1703) was a French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales, published in his ...

, illustrated by Stasys Eidrigevicius, North-South Books (

, NY), 1994. * '' The Emperor's New Clothes'' (and author of introduction), by

, illustrated by Angela Barrett,

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

(

Candlewick Press Candlewick Press, established in 1992 and located in Somerville, Massachusetts, is part of the Walker Books group. The logo depicting a bear carrying a candle is based on Walker Books's original logo. History Sebastian Walker launched Walker Boo ...

(

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, MA), 1997. * '' Elf Hill: Tales from Hans Christian Andersen'', illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark,

Frances Lincoln Frances Elisabeth Rosemary Lincoln (20 March 1945 – 26 February 2001) was an English independent publisher of illustrated books. She published under her own name and the company went on to become Frances Lincoln Publishers. In 1995, Lincoln w ...

(

), 1999. * ''

'', by

, illustrated by Christian Birmingham,

Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...

(

), 2007. * ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

'', by

, illustrated by Christian Birmingham,

(

), 2009.

Works anthologised

*''Christina Rossetti (poems)'' (and author of introduction), E. Hulton (London, England), 1959. *''The Best Children's Books of . . .'', six annual volumes, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1963–69. *''Emily Brontë, A Peculiar Music'' (poems), (and annotator and author of introduction) Bodley Head (London, England), Macmillan (New York, NY), 1971. *''Fantasy Books for Children'' (short essays on over two hundred books)(and annotator), National Book League (London, England), 1975, new edition, 1977. *''Edith Nesbit, Fairy Stories'' (and author of introduction and notes), illustrated by Brian Robb, E. Benn (London, England), 1977. *'' The Silent Playmate'' (and author of notes and introduction) (collection of doll stories), illustrated by Harold Jones, Gollancz (London, England), 1979, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1981. *''A Footprint on the Air: An Anthology of Nature Verse'' (compiler and contributor), illustrated by Liz Graham-Yool, Hutchinson (London, England), 1983. *''Messages: A Book of Poems''(Contributor and author of essay), Faber & Faber (London, England), 1985. *''Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Grimms' Fairy Tales'', illustrated by Lidia Postma, Hutchinson (London, England), 1985, published as ''The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Other Tales from Grimm'', Dial Books (New York, NY), 1986. *''William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream'', illustrated by Sylvie Monti, Hutchinson (London, England), 1988. *''Classic Fairy Tales to Read Aloud'' (Author of introductory accounts of each story), illustrated by Jo Worth, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1996. *''Rocking Horse Land and Other Classic Tales of Dolls and Toys'', illustrated by Angela Barrett, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2000.

Essays

*''Twentieth-Century Children's Writers'', St. James Press (New York, NY), 4 volumes starting 1978.

Introductions

*''King Arthur'' by Henry Gilbert, ''Robin Hood'', by Louis Rhead, and eight other books in the 'Henry Holt Little Classics' series. *''The Princess and the Goblin'' by George MacDonald, Puffin Books 1964. *''The Eleanor Farjeon Book: A Tribute to her Life and Work, 1881–1965'', illustrated by Edward Ardizzone. Hamish Hamilton 1966. *''Peter Pan'' by J.M. Barrie, Puffin Books 1967. *''East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon'', translated by George W. Dasent, illustrated by P. J. Lynch, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 1995. *''The Fairy Tale of My Life'' by Hans Christian Andersen, Cooper Square Press, 2000.

References

External links

''Books for Keeps'' Authorgraph: Interview by Chris Powling, November 1990

''The Times'' obituary

Naomi Lewis at Bookfinder
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Naomi 1911 births 2009 deaths 20th-century English poets 20th-century English women writers Alumni of Westfield College British children's writers British women children's writers British animal rights activists English people of Latvian-Jewish descent English women poets Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Hans Christian Andersen People associated with Conway Hall Ethical Society People educated at Great Yarmouth Grammar School Writers from Great Yarmouth