Peter Burra (1909 – 27 April 1937) was a British writer and critic, the author of "The Novels of E. M. Forster".

Early life

Peter Burra and his twin sister Nella Burra were close friend with

Peter Pears Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears ( ; 22 June 19103 April 1986) was an English tenor. His career was closely associated with the composer Benjamin Britten, his personal and professional partner for nearly forty years. Pears' musical career started ...

; Burra and Pears went to school together at

Lancing College Lancing College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils aged 13–18 in southern England, UK. The school is located in West S ...

and then

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 ...

. Helen "Nella" Pomfret Burra (1909–1999) was a singer and actress who worked with the Group Theatre productions. She married actor and director John Moody (1906–1993). At Lancing College, both Pears, piano, and Burra, violin, were members of the Lancing Chamber Music Society.

Career

From February 1930 to June 1931, Burra edited the literary magazine ''Farrago'', published by Simon Nowell Smith. They were 6 numbers in total and the cover designs and plates were by

Edward Burra Edward John Burra CBE (29 March 1905 – 22 October 1976) was an English painter, draughtsman, and printmaker, best known for his depictions of the urban underworld, Black culture and the Harlem scene of the 1930s. Biography Early life Burra ...

Albert Rutherston Albert Daniel Rutherston (5 December 1881 – 14 July 1953) was a British artist. He painted figures and landscape, illustrated books and designed posters and stage sets. Personal life and education Albert Daniel Rothenstein born 5 December 18 ...

, Oliver Holt and

Laurence Whistler Sir Alan Charles Laurence Whistler (21 January 1912 – 19 December 2000) was a British glass engraver and poet. He was both the first President of the British Guild of Glass Engravers and the first recipient of the King's Gold Medal for Poe ...

. In issue 5 there is also a headpiece by

Rex Whistler Reginald John "Rex" Whistler (24 June 190518 July 1944) was a British artist, who painted murals and society portraits, and designed theatrical costumes. He was killed in action in Normandy in World War II. Whistler was the brother of poet and ...

. The magazine published early poems by

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

and

Cecil Day-Lewis Cecil Day-Lewis (or Day Lewis; 27 April 1904 – 22 May 1972), often written as C. Day-Lewis, was an Anglo-Irish poet and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudony ...

, plus contributions by A.J.A. Symons, John Sparrow,

Max Beerbohm Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm (24 August 1872 – 20 May 1956) was an English essayist, Parody, parodist and Caricature, caricaturist under the signature Max. He first became known in the 1890s as a dandy and a humorist. He was the theatre crit ...

and

Lord David Cecil Lord Edward Christian David Gascoyne-Cecil, CH (9 April 1902 – 1 January 1986) was a British biographer, historian, and scholar. He held the style of "Lord" by courtesy as a younger son of a marquess. Early life and studies David Cecil was ...

. Burra was an essayist; in 1934, in "The Novels of E.M. Forster", he was the first to highlight

E. M. Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author. He is best known for his novels, particularly '' A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910) and '' A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous shor ...

's highly musical technique of employing textual leitmotifs, which he referred to as "rhythm". He would go on and write the introduction to Everyman edition of ''

A Passage to India ''A Passage to India'' is a 1924 novel by English author E. M. Forster set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement in the 1920s. It was selected as one of the 100 great works of 20th-century English liter ...

'' (1942), released after his death. E.M.Forster said of him that he was "the best critic of his generation". Also in 1934, Burra wrote ''Van Gogh'', published by Duckworth, and in 1936, again with Duckworth, he published ''Wordsworth, Great Lives''. These two biographies established his reputation as a writer. Burra was a special correspondent for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', and it was while in Barcelona to cover the ISCM Music Festival that he met Benjamin Britten for the first time; in a letter dated 1 May 1936, Burra tells Pears he has also met Britten's close friend

Lennox Berkeley Sir Lennox Randal Francis Berkeley CBE (12 May 190326 December 1989) was an English composer. Biography Berkeley was born on 12 May 1903 in Oxford, England, the younger child and only son of Aline Carla (1863–1935), daughter of Sir James ...

. In 1936 Pears was living in Burra's cottage in

Bucklebury Common Bucklebury Common is an elevated common land, common consisting of woodland with a few relatively small clearings in the England, English county of Berkshire, within the civil parish of Bucklebury centred northeast of Thatcham and encircling t ...

. Burra was a book reviewer for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

''. In November 1936, Burra reviewed "The Agamemnon of Aeschylus" produced by Rupert Doone with music of Britten; the review appeared in the ''Group Theatre Paper''.

Personal life

Burra was friends with both

and

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

at different times. Pears lived with him at Bucklebury Common and Britten, while referring to him, used the word "Dear", which was "Britten's blanket term for his intimate friends"; he used the same word in regard to Peter Pears and Lennox Berkeley. Burra was killed on 27 April 1937, when a light aircraft flown by a friend crashed near Bucklebury Common, Berkshire. It was Burra's first flying lesson. After visiting Spain, and a few days before the bombing of Guernica, he was hoping to help provide air-cover to Republicans. It was while sorting Burra's personal effects that the relationship between Pears and Britten started.

Legacy

Benjamin Britten wrote an unpublished song, "Not Even Summer Yet", for Peter Pears dedicated to Burra. Pears sang it for the first time accompanied by Gordon Thorne during a concert to the memory of Burra. The song was later revived by tenor Neil Mackle accompanied at the piano by

Iain Burnside Iain Burnside is a Scottish classical pianist and accompanist, and an occasional presenter on BBC Radio 3. Following study at Merton College, Oxford, the Royal Academy of Music and the Chopin Academy, in Warsaw he became a freelance pianist, sp ...

, at Wigmore Hall, London, on 22 November 1983. Lennox Berkeley and Benjamin Britten dedicated the orchestral suite, '' Mont Juic'' (1937) "In memory of Peter Burra".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burra, Peter 1909 births 1937 deaths People educated at Lancing College Alumni of the University of Oxford British literary critics British essayists The Times people The Spectator people British biographers British magazine editors Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in England 20th-century British essayists Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1937