Percy Edward Pinkerton (19 June 1855 – 31 August 1946) was an English translator and poet. His translations included two novels by

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...

and a

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long line of composers, s ...

libretto.

Early life

Pinkerton was born at

Stamford Hill Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about northeast of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the largest concentration of orthodox Ashken ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

, the third child of metal broker George Pinkerton (1823-1899), son of the missionary and linguist Rev.

Robert Pinkerton Robert Pinkerton (1780, Foulshiels near Selkirk, Scottish Borders, Selkirk, ScotlandBiographical Dictionary of Christian Missions (edited by Gerald H. Anderson) – 7 April 1859, Reigate, Surrey, England) was a Principal Agent of the British and For ...

, DD, and Mary (née Easum; 1823-1868). His siblings included the architect

Godfrey Pinkerton Godfrey Pinkerton (1858 – 1937) was a London-based British architect. Biography Early life Pinkerton was born at Godstone, Surrey, son of metal broker George Pinkerton (1823 – 1899), son of the missionary and linguist Rev. Robert Pinkerton, D ...

Writing

Pinkerton published some volumes of poetry: ''Galeazzo, a Venetian Episode: with other Poems'' (Venice and London, 1886), which was praised by

John Addington Symonds John Addington Symonds Jr. (; 5 October 1840 – 19 April 1893) was an English poet and literary critic. A cultural historian, he was known for his work on the Renaissance, as well as numerous biographies of writers and artists. Although mar ...

, ''Adriatica'' (1894), ''At Hazebro (1909), and ''Nerina, a lyrical drama in three acts'' (Cambridge, 1927). He also wrote for the '' Magazine of Art'', and in 1889 edited

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe ( ; Baptism, baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), also known as Kit Marlowe, was an English playwright, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the English Renaissance theatre, Eli ...

's plays. However most of his literary work consisted of English translations of European songs and literature. He was a member of the late Victorian Lutetian Society, dedicated to unexpurgated translations of the works of

. The Society included

Ernest Dowson Ernest Christopher Dowson (2 August 186723 February 1900) was an English poet, novelist, and short-story writer who is often associated with the Decadent movement. Biography Ernest Dowson was born in Lee, London, Lee, then in Kent, in 1867. His ...

Havelock Ellis Henry Havelock Ellis (2 February 1859 – 8 July 1939) was an English physician, eugenicist, writer, Progressivism, progressive intellectual and social reformer who studied human sexuality. He co-wrote the first medical textbook in English on h ...

Arthur Symons Arthur William Symons (28 February 186522 January 1945) was a British poet, critic, translator and magazine editor. Life Born in Milford Haven, Wales, to Cornish parents, Symons was educated privately, spending much of his time in France an ...

Victor Plarr Victor Gustave Plarr (21 June 1863 – 28 January 1929) was an English poet; he is probably best known for the poem ''Epitaphium Citharistriae''. Life He was born near Strasbourg, France, of a French father from Alsace, Gustave Plarr, and an En ...

and

Alexander Teixeira de Mattos Alexander Louis Teixeira de Mattos (9 April 1865 – 5 December 1921), known as Alexander Teixeira de Mattos, was a Dutch-English journalist, literary critic and publisher, who gained his greatest fame as a translator. Early life The Teixei ...

. He translated other works from German, Italian, French and Russian.

Translations

From German *William Müller, ''Field-Marshal Count Moltke, 1800–1878'', 1879 * Heinrich Düntzer, ''The Life of

Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...

'', 1883 From Italian *

Matteo Bandello Matteo Bandello ( 1480–1562) was an Italian writer, soldier, Dominican friar and bishop, best known for his novellas. His collection of 214 novellas made him the most popular short-story writer of his day. Biography Matteo Bandello was b ...

, ''Novellieri Italiani. Twelve stories selected and done into English with a memoir of the author'', 1892 From French *''Memoirs of Constant, the Emperor Napoleon's head valet'', 1896 *Émile Zola, '' Restless House'', 1924 *Émile Zola, "Pot Bouille" 1894-95 (Lutetian House, London) From Russian *

Mikhail Artsybashev Mikhail Petrovich Artsybashev (; ; ; November 5, 1878 – March 3, 1927) was a Russian writer and playwright, and a major proponent of the literary style known as naturalism. He was the great-grandson of Tadeusz Kościuszko and father of Boris A ...

, '' Sanine'', 1914 *Mikhail Artsybashev, ''The Millionaire'', 1915 Operas and cantatas *Puccini,

La Bohème ''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...

, 1896. Performed for radio in 1930 *Puccini, '' The witch-dancers'', performed at Manchester in 1897 * Niccola Spinelli, '' A Basso Porto'', performed at Brighton in 1900 *

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

, songs with pianoforte accompaniment *

Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (born Ermanno Wolf) (January 12, 1876 – January 21, 1948) was an Italian composer and teacher. He is best known for his comic operas such as ''Il segreto di Susanna'' (1909). A number of his works were based on plays by ...

, ''The New Life'', 1902 *

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

, ''Phoebus and Pan'' *

Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

, ''Le Temple universel'' *

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include mélodie, songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among th ...

Lyrics

*''Pansies'', to

Salut d'Amour ''Salut d'Amour'' (''Liebesgruß''), Op. 12, is a musical work composed by Edward Elgar in 1888, originally written for violin and piano. History Elgar finished the piece in July 1888, when he was romantically involved with Caroline Alice Ro ...

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

Personal life

In 1909, aged 54, Pinkerton married 41-year-old Emily Harriet, spinster daughter of Rev. James Richard Woodgates, rector of Putley,

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

. They lived at Red Lodge, Happisburgh, Norfolk. Pinkerton died on 31 August 1946, aged 91, at Ealing House, Porthleven,

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

.''The Times'', 5 September 1946. and was buried at Porthleven Cemetery alongside his wife. They had no issue.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pinkerton, Percy Edward 1855 births 1946 deaths French–English translators German–English translators Italian–English translators Russian–English translators People from Porthleven People from Stoke Newington