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{{short description|British writer}}
{{other people|John Drinkwater}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2015}}


{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
|name= John Drinkwater
| name = John Drinkwater
|image= File:John Drinkwater in 1919.jpg
| image = File:John Drinkwater in 1919.jpg
⚫
| caption = Drinkwater in 1919
|size=
⚫
| nationality = British
⚫
|caption=Drinkwater in 1919
| birth_date = {{birth date|1882|6|1|df=yes}}
|quotation=
⚫
| birth_place = [[Leytonstone]], [[Essex]], [[England]]
⚫
|nationality= British
|birth_date= {{birth date|1882|6|1|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1937|3|25|1882|6|1|df=yes}}
⚫
| death_place = [[London]], [[England]]
⚫
|birth_place= [[Leytonstone]]
⚫
| spouse = Cathleen Orford (née Kathleen Walpole)<br>[[Daisy Kennedy]]
|dead=
| children = 1
|death_date= {{death date and age|1937|3|25|1882|6|1|df=yes}}
⚫
|death_place= [[London]]
⚫
|spouse= Cathleen Orford (née Kathleen Walpole)<br>[[Daisy Kennedy]]
}}
}}
'''John Drinkwater''' (1 June 1882 – 25 March 1937) was an [[England|English]] [[poet]] and [[dramatist]]. He was known before [[World War I]] as one of the [[Dymock poets]], and his poetry was included in all five volumes of ''[[Georgian Poetry]]'' (edited by [[Edward Marsh (polymath)|Edward Marsh]], 1912–1922). After World War I, he achieved fame as a playwright and became closely associated with [[Birmingham Repertory Theatre]].<ref name=ondb>Eric Salmon. 'Drinkwater, John', in ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (2004, revised 2007)</ref>
'''John Drinkwater''' (1 June 1882 – 25 March 1937) was an [[England|English]] [[poet]] and [[dramatist]].


==Life and career==
==Life and career==
Drinkwater was born in [[Leytonstone]], [[Essex]], (now [[Greater London]]), to actor/author Albert Edwin Drinkwater (1851-1923) and Annie Beck (''née'' Brown), and worked as an insurance clerk. In the period immediately before the [[World War I|First World War]] he was one of the [[Dymock poets|group of poets]] associated with the [[Gloucestershire]] village of [[Dymock]], along with [[Rupert Brooke]] and others.
Drinkwater was born in [[Leytonstone]], [[Essex]] (now [[Greater London]]), to actor/author Albert Edwin Drinkwater (1851–1923) and Annie Beck (''née'' Brown), and worked as an insurance clerk. In the period immediately before the [[World War I|First World War]], he was one of the [[Dymock poets|group of poets]] associated with the [[Gloucestershire]] village of [[Dymock]], along with [[Rupert Brooke]], [[Lascelles Abercrombie]], [[Wilfrid Wilson Gibson]] and others.<ref name=ondb/>


In 1918 he had his first major success with his play ''[[Abraham Lincoln (play)|Abraham Lincoln]]''. He followed it with others in a similar vein, including ''Mary Stuart'' and ''Oliver Cromwell''. In 1924, his Lincoln play was adapted for a two-reel [[short film]] made by [[Lee DeForest]] and [[J. Searle Dawley]] featuring [[Frank McGlynn Sr.]] as Lincoln, and made in DeForest's [[Phonofilm]] sound-on-film process.<ref>[http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/2064/Lee-de-Forest-and-Phonofilm-Virtual-Broadway.html Lee de Forest and Phonofilm at Virtual Broadway website]</ref>
In 1918, he had his first major success with his play ''[[Abraham Lincoln (play)|Abraham Lincoln]]''. He followed it with others in a similar vein, including ''Mary Stuart'' and ''Oliver Cromwell''.


He had published poetry since ''The Death of Leander'' in 1906; the first volume of his ''Collected Poems'' was published in 1923. He also compiled anthologies and wrote literary criticism (e.g. ''Swinburne: an estimate'' (1913)), and later became manager of [[Birmingham Repertory Theatre]].
He had published poetry since ''The Death of Leander'' in 1906; the first volume of his ''Collected Poems'' was published in 1923. He also compiled anthologies and wrote literary criticism (e.g. ''Swinburne: an estimate'' (1913)), and later became manager of [[Birmingham Repertory Theatre]].


He married concert violinist [[Daisy Kennedy]], the ex-wife of [[Benno Moiseiwitsch]], in December 1924.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1924/12/17/archives/john-drinkwater-weds-english-dramatist-divorced-marries-miss-daisy.html 'John Drinkwater Weds; English Dramatist, Divorced, Marries Miss Daisy Kennedy, Violinist'], in ''The New York Times'', 17 December 1924</ref> Their daughter, Penny Drinkwater, went on to become a wine writer and member of the circle of wine writers.
He was married to [[Daisy Kennedy]], the ex-wife of [[Benno Moiseiwitsch]].


⚫
Drinkwater made recordings in [[Columbia Records]]' International Educational Society Lecture series. They include Lecture 10 – a lecture on ''The Speaking of Verse'' (four 78 rpm sides, Cat no. D 40018-40019), and Lecture 70 ''John Drinkwater reading his own poems'' (four 78 rpm sides, Cat no. D 40140-40141).<ref>''Catalogue of Columbia Records, Up to and including Supplement no. 252'' (Columbia Graphophone Company, London, September 1933), pp. 371, 374.</ref>
Papers relating to John Drinkwater and collected by his stepdaughter are held at the [[University of Birmingham]] Special Collections.

⚫
John Drinkwater made recordings in [[Columbia Records]]' International Educational Society Lecture series. They include Lecture 10 – a lecture on ''The Speaking of Verse'' (Four 78rpm sides, Cat no. D 40018-40019), and Lecture 70 ''John Drinkwater reading his own poems'' (Four 78rpm sides, Cat no. D 40140-40141).<ref>''Catalogue of Columbia Records, Up to and including Supplement no. 252'' (Columbia Graphophone Company, London September 1933), pp. 371, 374.</ref>


==Death and commemoration==
==Death and commemoration==
[[File:Piddington StNicholas GravestoneDrinkwater.JPG|thumb|Drinkwater's grave at [[Piddington, Oxfordshire]]]]
[[File:Piddington StNicholas GravestoneDrinkwater.JPG|thumb|Drinkwater's grave at [[Piddington, Oxfordshire]]]]
Drinkwater died in London in 1937. He is buried at [[Piddington, Oxfordshire]], where he had spent summer holidays as a child.
Drinkwater died in London in 1937 at the age of 54.<ref name="Magill1985">{{cite book|author=Frank Northen Magill|title=Critical Survey of Drama: Authors A–Z|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JK85AAAAMAAJ|year=1985|publisher=Salem Press|isbn=978-0-89356-377-6|page=506}}</ref> He is buried at [[Piddington, Oxfordshire]], where he had spent summer holidays as a child.


A road in Leytonstone, formerly a 1960s [[council estate]], is named after Drinkwater, as is a small development of modern houses in Piddington.
A road in Leytonstone, formerly a 1960s [[council estate]], is named after Drinkwater, as is a small development of modern houses in Piddington.

== Archives ==
Papers of John Drinkwater are held at the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham.<ref>{{Cite web|title=UoB Calmview5: Search results|url=https://calmview.bham.ac.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=XJD|access-date=2021-01-28|website=calmview.bham.ac.uk}}</ref> This includes a collection of photographs and photograph albums relating to Drinkwater.<ref>{{Cite web|title=UoB Calmview5: Search results|url=https://calmview.bham.ac.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=XMS235|access-date=2021-03-10|website=calmview.bham.ac.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=UoB Calmview5: Search results|url=https://calmview.bham.ac.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=XMS234|access-date=2021-03-10|website=calmview.bham.ac.uk}}</ref> There are also some Drinkwater papers in the [[Ashley Library]] in the [[British Library]] and in [[Vestry House Museum]] in [[Walthamstow]], as well as a large amount of correspondence held at [[Yale University]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=John Drinkwater Collection|url=https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/11/resources/628|access-date=2022-11-21|website=Archives at Yale}}</ref>


==Notes==
==Notes==
{{Portal|poetry|biography}}
{{Portal|Poetry|Biography}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Bibliowiki|John Drinkwater}}
{{wikisource|Author:John Drinkwater|John Drinkwater}}
{{wikisource|Author:John Drinkwater|John Drinkwater}}
{{Commons category|John Drinkwater}}
{{Commons category|John Drinkwater}}
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051210035643/http://lenbernstein.com/Pages/EgoJustice.html Discussion of John Drinkwater's play ''Abraham Lincoln'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051210035643/http://lenbernstein.com/Pages/EgoJustice.html Discussion of John Drinkwater's play ''Abraham Lincoln'']
* {{UK National Archives ID}}
* {{UK National Archives ID}}
* Archival Material at {{wikidata|qualifier|property|P485|Q24568958|P856|format=\[%q %p\]}}
* Archival material at {{wikidata|qualifier|property|P485|Q24568958|P856|format=\[%q %p\]}}
*[https://www.greatwartheatre.org.uk/db/person/300/ Plays by John Drinkwater] at [https://www.greatwartheatre.org.uk Great War Theatre]
*[[hdl:10079/fa/beinecke.drinkwat|John Drinkwater Collection]]. General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:1937 deaths]]
[[Category:1937 deaths]]
[[Category:People educated at the City of Oxford High School for Boys]]
[[Category:People educated at the City of Oxford High School for Boys]]
[[Category:English dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:People from Leytonstone]]
[[Category:People from Leytonstone]]
[[Category:English male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:English male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:English male poets]]
[[Category:English male poets]]
[[Category:20th-century English poets]]
[[Category:20th-century English poets]]
[[Category:20th-century British dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century English dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century English male writers]]




Revision as of 09:08, 2 July 2024

John Drinkwater
Drinkwater in 1919
Born(1882-06-01)1 June 1882
Leytonstone, Essex, England
Died25 March 1937(1937-03-25) (aged 54)
London, England
NationalityBritish
Spouse(s)Cathleen Orford (née Kathleen Walpole)
Daisy Kennedy
Children1

John Drinkwater (1 June 1882 – 25 March 1937) was an English poet and dramatist. He was known before World War I as one of the Dymock poets, and his poetry was included in all five volumes of Georgian Poetry (edited by Edward Marsh, 1912–1922). After World War I, he achieved fame as a playwright and became closely associated with Birmingham Repertory Theatre.[1]

Life and career

Drinkwater was born in Leytonstone, Essex (now Greater London), to actor/author Albert Edwin Drinkwater (1851–1923) and Annie Beck (née Brown), and worked as an insurance clerk. In the period immediately before the First World War, he was one of the group of poets associated with the Gloucestershire village of Dymock, along with Rupert Brooke, Lascelles Abercrombie, Wilfrid Wilson Gibson and others.[1]

In 1918, he had his first major success with his play Abraham Lincoln. He followed it with others in a similar vein, including Mary Stuart and Oliver Cromwell.

He had published poetry since The Death of Leander in 1906; the first volume of his Collected Poems was published in 1923. He also compiled anthologies and wrote literary criticism (e.g. Swinburne: an estimate (1913)), and later became manager of Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

He married concert violinist Daisy Kennedy, the ex-wife of Benno Moiseiwitsch, in December 1924.[2] Their daughter, Penny Drinkwater, went on to become a wine writer and member of the circle of wine writers.

Drinkwater made recordings in Columbia Records' International Educational Society Lecture series. They include Lecture 10 – a lecture on The Speaking of Verse (four 78 rpm sides, Cat no. D 40018-40019), and Lecture 70 John Drinkwater reading his own poems (four 78 rpm sides, Cat no. D 40140-40141).[3]

Death and commemoration

Drinkwater's grave at Piddington, Oxfordshire

Drinkwater died in London in 1937 at the age of 54.[4] He is buried at Piddington, Oxfordshire, where he had spent summer holidays as a child.

A road in Leytonstone, formerly a 1960s council estate, is named after Drinkwater, as is a small development of modern houses in Piddington.

Archives

Papers of John Drinkwater are held at the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham.[5] This includes a collection of photographs and photograph albums relating to Drinkwater.[6][7] There are also some Drinkwater papers in the Ashley Library in the British Library and in Vestry House Museum in Walthamstow, as well as a large amount of correspondence held at Yale University.[8]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Eric Salmon. 'Drinkwater, John', in The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004, revised 2007)
  2. ^ 'John Drinkwater Weds; English Dramatist, Divorced, Marries Miss Daisy Kennedy, Violinist', in The New York Times, 17 December 1924
  3. ^ Catalogue of Columbia Records, Up to and including Supplement no. 252 (Columbia Graphophone Company, London, September 1933), pp. 371, 374.
  4. ^ Frank Northen Magill (1985). Critical Survey of Drama: Authors A–Z. Salem Press. p. 506. ISBN 978-0-89356-377-6.
  5. ^ "UoB Calmview5: Search results". calmview.bham.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  6. ^ "UoB Calmview5: Search results". calmview.bham.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  7. ^ "UoB Calmview5: Search results". calmview.bham.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  8. ^ "John Drinkwater Collection". Archives at Yale. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
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