Davie, Donald Alfred

▪ 1996

      British poet and critic (b. July 17, 1922, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England—d. Sept. 18, 1995, Exeter, Devon, England), was one of the most prolific and influential poet-critics of his generation and was considered a major force in the so-called Movement, champions of antiromantic British poetry in the 1950s. He espoused the view that poetic form and precise use of language were directly related to personal morality. Davie began studies at St. Catharine's College, Cambridge, in 1940 but interrupted them after a year for service in the Royal Navy in World War II, which took him to the Soviet Union. While there he taught himself Russian and developed what would become a lifelong interest in Russian literature; he later translated works of Boris Pasternak and wrote on Slavic literature. After the war Davie returned to Cambridge, earning a B.A. (1947), an M.A. (1949), and a Ph.D. (1951). He was a lecturer at Trinity College, Dublin (1950-57), and at Cambridge (1958-64) and then helped set up the University of Essex. He taught there until, disgusted by the student revolts of the late 1960s, he moved (1968) to the U.S. and took a position at Stanford University. After 10 years there he taught (1978-88) at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., before retiring and returning to England. Davie's best-known books include Purity of Diction in English Verse (1952), Articulate Energy (1955), Ezra Pound: Poet as Sculptor (1964), The Poet in the Imaginary Museum (1977), Under Briggflats (1989), and Slavic Excursions (1990). He considered himself foremost a poet, however, and produced a large number of collections, among them Brides of Reason (1955), A Winter Talent (1957), Essex Poems, 1963-67 (1969), In the Stopping Train & Other Poems (1977), and To Scorch or Freeze (1988). The Psalms in English would be published in 1996.

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▪ British author

born July 17, 1922, Barnsley, Yorkshire, Eng.

died Sept. 18, 1995, Exeter, Devon

      British poet, literary critic, and teacher who was a major conservative influence on British poetry in the 1950s.

      Davie served in the Royal Navy during World War II and obtained bachelor's (1947) and doctoral (1951) degrees from the University of Cambridge. He taught at Trinity College, Dublin (1950–57), Cambridge (1958–64), the University of Essex (1964–68), and Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. (1968–78).

      Davie was a principal figure in The Movement, a group of British poets in the 1950s who expressed antiromantic ideals and purposely avoided experimentation in their verse. His earliest critical works, Purity of Diction in English Verse (1952) and Articulate Energy (1955), explored the moral dimensions of poetic style. His poetry has been characterized as Neo-Augustan, austere, and elegant. His first book of verse, Brides of Reason (1955), was followed by A Winter Talent (1957), Essex Poems (1969), Six Epistles to Eva Hesse (1970), In the Stopping Train & Other Poems (1977), and To Scorch or Freeze (1988), among other volumes. His Collected Poems 1950–70 was published in 1972. Davie's poetry was characterized by meticulous syntax and plain diction and tended to be philosophical and quietly moralistic in tone. His later critical works included Ezra Pound: Poet as Sculptor (1964), The Poet in the Imaginary Museum (1977; essays), Czesław Miłosz and the Insufficiency of Lyric (1986), and Under Briggflatts: A History of Poetry in Great Britain, 1960–1988 (1989).

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