Leslie Norris
Encyclopedia
George Leslie Norris FRSL (21 May 1921 – 6 April 2006), was a prize-winning Welsh
poet
and short story
writer. Up to 1974 he earned his living as a college
lecturer
, teacher
and headmaster. From 1974 he combined full-time writing with residencies at academic institutions in Britain
and the United States
.
Today he is considered one of the most important Welsh writers of the post-war period. His collections of stories, including Collected Stories, and poems, including Collected Poems, have won many prizes, among them the Cholmondeley Poetry Prize, the David Higham Memorial Prize, the Katherine Mansfield Memorial Award, the AML Award for poetry (in 1996) and the Welsh Arts Council Senior Fiction Award.
, South Wales. His father George was a tall athletic man lacking education, because he had to fight in the First World War
. After the war his father was employed as an engineer in a coal mine. Leslie had two younger brothers, Eric and Gordon.
Leslie had a cheerful childhood. When he was nineteen years old he joined the Royal Air Force
during the Second World War
. Leslie initially trained as a pilot, but was injured when he collided with another plane on the ground while practicing landings. After his recovery, he spent the remainder of his time in the Air Force playing football on the Air Force team.
When Leslie was a teenager he sent his first poems to Vernon Watkins
who found his poems not very profound, but gave him some advice. This had a main influence on his writing style for years. In his free time he wrote poems and earned his money by being an unofficial worker for the local government. Then he worked as a teacher and rose to a headmaster, finally to a college lecturer. Later in 1974, at the urging of his wife Catherine (Kitty) Morgan, he started his career as a professional writer of poems and stories.
Leslie and Kitty had one child, who died in infancy.
In 1981 and 1982 Leslie Norris was a visiting poet-in-residence at the University of Washington
, where he taught and made deep friendships. in 1982, along with his friend, the late Professor Nelson Bentley
, Norris helped the successful start of a student's (Fine Madness) literary magazine by inviting his friends and students in Great Britain and the U.S. to submit poems.
In 1983 Norris was invited to teach for six months at Brigham Young University
in Utah
, United States of America
. He settled with his wife, Catherine Morgan, and remained there until his death. He was appointed the official Poet-in-Residence at the university. He contributed to the cultural life of Provo
(and of the entire Utah Valley) by organizing Eisteddfods, the traditional Welsh cultural festivals. Among his last works were a series of autobiographical poems, some of which have been published separately, but which he hoped would constitute one poem sequence something like Wordsworth
's Prelude.
at the age of seven years, but his career as a published author began in the 1940s, when his first collection Finding Gold was published.
In addition to poems and short stories
, Norris published translation
s.
His works deal with such themes as his Welsh home, his past, especially the pre-war period, his experiences as a teacher, nature, and the life of the instinct. He is considered to be a fine technician. Interviews and lectures with Leslie show that he never sat down planning to write. He simply played off inspiration he received at various times of the day. When he would resume writing after stopping for the day, he would re-read everything he had so far, so as to maintain the style.
to his adopted Provo
, through every other place of literary prominence in between. His poetic voice was pure, authentic, and deceptively simple. He was great in a land of great poets. He was also a primary school teacher. And a headmaster. Though he went on to publicly prestigious things, he remained a teacher. He taught the most gifted creative writing students at BYU and helped launch their careers; he also read his stories and poems to countless school children." John R. Rosenberg, Dean of the BYU College of Humanities, in Humanities at Brigham Young University, Summer 2006.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer. Up to 1974 he earned his living as a college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
, teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and headmaster. From 1974 he combined full-time writing with residencies at academic institutions in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Today he is considered one of the most important Welsh writers of the post-war period. His collections of stories, including Collected Stories, and poems, including Collected Poems, have won many prizes, among them the Cholmondeley Poetry Prize, the David Higham Memorial Prize, the Katherine Mansfield Memorial Award, the AML Award for poetry (in 1996) and the Welsh Arts Council Senior Fiction Award.
Biography
George Leslie Norris was born in Merthyr TydfilMerthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
, South Wales. His father George was a tall athletic man lacking education, because he had to fight in the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. After the war his father was employed as an engineer in a coal mine. Leslie had two younger brothers, Eric and Gordon.
Leslie had a cheerful childhood. When he was nineteen years old he joined the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Leslie initially trained as a pilot, but was injured when he collided with another plane on the ground while practicing landings. After his recovery, he spent the remainder of his time in the Air Force playing football on the Air Force team.
When Leslie was a teenager he sent his first poems to Vernon Watkins
Vernon Watkins
Vernon Phillips Watkins , was a British poet, and a translator and painter. He was a close friend of Dylan Thomas, who described him as "the most profound and greatly accomplished Welshman writing poems in English"....
who found his poems not very profound, but gave him some advice. This had a main influence on his writing style for years. In his free time he wrote poems and earned his money by being an unofficial worker for the local government. Then he worked as a teacher and rose to a headmaster, finally to a college lecturer. Later in 1974, at the urging of his wife Catherine (Kitty) Morgan, he started his career as a professional writer of poems and stories.
Leslie and Kitty had one child, who died in infancy.
In 1981 and 1982 Leslie Norris was a visiting poet-in-residence at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, where he taught and made deep friendships. in 1982, along with his friend, the late Professor Nelson Bentley
Nelson Bentley
Nelson Bentley was an American poet and professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, whose works have left an impression on the Seattle literary scene. He was born in Elm, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan receiving his bachelor's then his master's degree...
, Norris helped the successful start of a student's (Fine Madness) literary magazine by inviting his friends and students in Great Britain and the U.S. to submit poems.
In 1983 Norris was invited to teach for six months at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He settled with his wife, Catherine Morgan, and remained there until his death. He was appointed the official Poet-in-Residence at the university. He contributed to the cultural life of Provo
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
(and of the entire Utah Valley) by organizing Eisteddfods, the traditional Welsh cultural festivals. Among his last works were a series of autobiographical poems, some of which have been published separately, but which he hoped would constitute one poem sequence something like Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
's Prelude.
Literary work
Norris started writing poemsPoetry
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...
at the age of seven years, but his career as a published author began in the 1940s, when his first collection Finding Gold was published.
In addition to poems and short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
, Norris published translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
s.
His works deal with such themes as his Welsh home, his past, especially the pre-war period, his experiences as a teacher, nature, and the life of the instinct. He is considered to be a fine technician. Interviews and lectures with Leslie show that he never sat down planning to write. He simply played off inspiration he received at various times of the day. When he would resume writing after stopping for the day, he would re-read everything he had so far, so as to maintain the style.
Tribute from Dean Rosenberg
"His obituaries ran from his native WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
to his adopted Provo
Provo
Provo was a Dutch counterculture movement in the mid-1960s that focused on provoking violent responses from authorities using non-violent bait. It was preceded by the nozem movement and followed by the hippie movement...
, through every other place of literary prominence in between. His poetic voice was pure, authentic, and deceptively simple. He was great in a land of great poets. He was also a primary school teacher. And a headmaster. Though he went on to publicly prestigious things, he remained a teacher. He taught the most gifted creative writing students at BYU and helped launch their careers; he also read his stories and poems to countless school children." John R. Rosenberg, Dean of the BYU College of Humanities, in Humanities at Brigham Young University, Summer 2006.
Print references
- Eugene EnglandEugene EnglandGeorge Eugene England, Jr. , usually credited as Eugene England, was a Mormon writer, teacher, and scholar. He founded Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, the oldest independent journal in Mormon Studies, with G. Wesley Johnson in 1966 and cofounded the Association for Mormon Letters in 1976...
and Peter MakuckPeter MakuckPeter Makuck is an American poet, short story writer, and critic. He is Distinguished Professor emeritus Professor of English at East Carolina University, where he was also the first Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences; he has also served as Visiting Writer in Residence at Brigham Young...
(eds.): An Open World: Essays on Leslie Norris, Camden House, Columbia, SC, 1994
- James A. Davies: Leslie Norris, University of Wales Press, Cardiff 1991
- Dictionary of Literary Biography
- Chapter 5 on Leslie Norris, of "Wordsworth's Influence On 20th Century Welsh Poets", unpublished dissertation by James Prothero in the National Library of Wales and University of Wales, Lampeter library. This includes two letters and two long interviews with Norris which may have been some of the last interviews with him.
External links
- Wells College Press profile: Leslie Norris Captured December 2, 2005.
- CREW Welsh Writers Online: Leslie Norris Captured December 2, 2005.
- 'An astonishing life' — Poet Leslie Norris Article on deseretnews.com. Captured December 2, 2005.