George Derwent Thomson
Encyclopedia
George Derwent Thomson (Dulwich
, London
, 1903-Birmingham
, 3 February 1987) was an English classical scholar, Marxist philosopher, and scholar of the Irish language
.
where he attained First Class Honours in the Classical Tripos and subsequently won a scholarship to Trinity College, Dublin
. At TCD he worked on his first book, Greek Lyric Metre, and began visiting Na Blascaodaí
in the early nineteen-twenties. He became lecturer and then Professor of Greek at NUI Galway.
He moved back to England in 1934, when he returned to King's College, Cambridge, to lecture in Greek. He became a professor at Birmingham University in 1936, the year he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
. Thomson pioneered a Marxist interpretation of Greek drama. His Aeschylus and Athens and Marxism and Poetry won him international attention. In the latter book he argued a connection between the work song
and poetry
; and that pre-industrial songs were connected to ritual
.
Thomsen was befriends, and an important influence on Alfred Sohn-Rethel
and his theory of the genesis of occidental thought in Ancient Greece
through the invention of coining.
) off the west coast of Ireland in 1923. Mac Tomáis, as he quickly became known to the islanders, had attended rudimentary Irish classes at a Conradh na Gaeilge
branch in London before he went to Cambridge. When he arrived on the island, he immersed himself in the language. In six weeks of walking around, talking with Muiris Ó Súilleabháin
and others, Mac Tomáis achieved near complete fluency in the language.
He spent several years with the people of the islands studying their language, history and culture. He maintained a special study of the now extinct community in Ireland, in which he perceived elements of surviving cultural resonances with historical society prior to the development of private property as a means of production. He became a champion of the Irish language.
He had a role in the publication of the memoirs of Muiris Ó Súilleabháin, Fiche Bliain Ag Fás in 1933. The introduction to Ó Súilleabháin's autobiography by E. M. Forster
can also be attributed to Thomson.
When he applied for the new position of lecturer of Greek in NUI Galway in 1931 he, in the words of Richard Roche, 'astonished the interview board with a flow of Blasket Irish' and was awarded the post.
The Chinese revolution of 1949 had a profound effect on him and led to differences with the British Communist Party, from which he eventually drifted. He never lost his political beliefs. He was committed to working-class education, including giving lectures to factory workers at Birmingham's Austin car plant. He also maintained a special affection and support for the Morning Star
in his later years.
Thomson authored two popular expositions on Marxism published by the China Policy Study Group in the early 1970s. From Marx to Mao Tse-tung: a study in revolutionary dialectics (1971); and Capitalism and After: the rise and fall of commodity production (1973). He is also the author of Marxism and Poetry (1945).
Dulwich
Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 1903-Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, 3 February 1987) was an English classical scholar, Marxist philosopher, and scholar of the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
.
Classical scholar
Thomson studied Classics at King's College, CambridgeKing's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
where he attained First Class Honours in the Classical Tripos and subsequently won a scholarship to Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. At TCD he worked on his first book, Greek Lyric Metre, and began visiting Na Blascaodaí
Blasket Islands
The Blasket Islands are a group of islands off the west coast of Ireland, forming part of County Kerry. They were inhabited until 1953 by a completely Irish-speaking population. The inhabitants were evacuated to the mainland on 17 November 1953...
in the early nineteen-twenties. He became lecturer and then Professor of Greek at NUI Galway.
He moved back to England in 1934, when he returned to King's College, Cambridge, to lecture in Greek. He became a professor at Birmingham University in 1936, the year he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
. Thomson pioneered a Marxist interpretation of Greek drama. His Aeschylus and Athens and Marxism and Poetry won him international attention. In the latter book he argued a connection between the work song
Work song
A work song is a piece of music closely connected to a specific form of work, either sung while conducting a task or a song linked to a task or trade which might be a connected narrative, description, or protest song....
and poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
; and that pre-industrial songs were connected to ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
.
Thomsen was befriends, and an important influence on Alfred Sohn-Rethel
Alfred Sohn-Rethel
Alfred Sohn-Rethel was a Marxist economist and philosopher especially interested in epistemology. He also wrote about the relationship of German industry with national socialism.-Life:...
and his theory of the genesis of occidental thought in Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
through the invention of coining.
Blasket connections
He first visited Na Blascaodaí (the Blasket IslandsBlasket Islands
The Blasket Islands are a group of islands off the west coast of Ireland, forming part of County Kerry. They were inhabited until 1953 by a completely Irish-speaking population. The inhabitants were evacuated to the mainland on 17 November 1953...
) off the west coast of Ireland in 1923. Mac Tomáis, as he quickly became known to the islanders, had attended rudimentary Irish classes at a Conradh na Gaeilge
Conradh na Gaeilge
Conradh na Gaeilge is a non-governmental organisation that promotes the Irish language in Ireland and abroad. The motto of the League is Sinn Féin, Sinn Féin amháin .-Origins:...
branch in London before he went to Cambridge. When he arrived on the island, he immersed himself in the language. In six weeks of walking around, talking with Muiris Ó Súilleabháin
Muiris Ó Súilleabháin
Muiris Ó Súilleabháin became famous for his memoir of growing up on the Great Blasket Island off the western coast of Ireland, Fiche Bliain ag Fás , published in Irish and English in 1933...
and others, Mac Tomáis achieved near complete fluency in the language.
He spent several years with the people of the islands studying their language, history and culture. He maintained a special study of the now extinct community in Ireland, in which he perceived elements of surviving cultural resonances with historical society prior to the development of private property as a means of production. He became a champion of the Irish language.
He had a role in the publication of the memoirs of Muiris Ó Súilleabháin, Fiche Bliain Ag Fás in 1933. The introduction to Ó Súilleabháin's autobiography by E. M. Forster
E. M. Forster
Edward Morgan Forster OM, CH was an English novelist, short story writer, essayist and librettist. He is known best for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society...
can also be attributed to Thomson.
When he applied for the new position of lecturer of Greek in NUI Galway in 1931 he, in the words of Richard Roche, 'astonished the interview board with a flow of Blasket Irish' and was awarded the post.
Communist
In 1951, he was the only member of the Communist Party's Executive Committee to vote against the Party’s programme The British Road to Socialism, because “the dictatorship of the proletariat was missing”. He also served on the Party’s Cultural Committee.The Chinese revolution of 1949 had a profound effect on him and led to differences with the British Communist Party, from which he eventually drifted. He never lost his political beliefs. He was committed to working-class education, including giving lectures to factory workers at Birmingham's Austin car plant. He also maintained a special affection and support for the Morning Star
The Morning Star
The Morning Star is a left wing British daily tabloid newspaper with a focus on social and trade union issues. Articles and comment columns are contributed by writers from socialist, social democratic, green and religious perspectives....
in his later years.
Thomson authored two popular expositions on Marxism published by the China Policy Study Group in the early 1970s. From Marx to Mao Tse-tung: a study in revolutionary dialectics (1971); and Capitalism and After: the rise and fall of commodity production (1973). He is also the author of Marxism and Poetry (1945).