Richard Murphy (poet)
Encyclopedia
Richard Murphy is an Irish poet
. He is a member of Aosdána
and currently lives in Sri Lanka.
, where his father
served in the Colonial Service
and was active as mayor of Colombo
and Governor General of the Bahamas (in succession to the Duke of Windsor
). He first received his education at Canterbury School
and Wellington College
. He won a scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford
, at 17, where he studied English under C.S. Lewis. He was later educated at the Sorbonne
and between 1953 and 1954, he ran a school at Crete
. In his Archaeology of Love (1955), Murphy reflects on his experiences in England and the Continent.
(High Island), a small island in the vicinity of Inishbofin.
Since 1971 Murphy has been a poet-in-residence at nine American universities. Now he lives in Sri Lanka, he previously divided his time between Dublin and Durban, South Africa, where his daughter and her family reside. In 2002, a unique memoir of his life and times was published by Granta, constructed from astonishingly detailed diaries kept over the course of five decades.
(1969); and American-Irish Foundation Award (1983).
Irish poetry
The history of Irish poetry includes the poetries of two languages, one in Irish and the other in English. The complex interplay between these two traditions, and between both of them and other poetries in English, has produced a body of work that is both rich in variety and difficult to...
. He is a member of Aosdána
Aosdána
Aosdána is an Irish association of Artists. It was created in 1981 on the initiative of a group of writers and with support from the Arts Council of Ireland. Membership, which is by invitation from current members, is limited to 250 individuals; before 2005 it was limited to 200...
and currently lives in Sri Lanka.
Early years
Murphy was born to an Anglo-Irish family at Milford House, near the Mayo-Galway border, in 1927. He spent much of his early childhood in Ceylon, now Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, where his father
William Lindsay Murphy
Sir William Lindsay Murphy was the British Governor of the Bahamas from 28 July 1945–1950. Prior to his appointment as Governor, he was the Colonial Secretary of Bermuda from 1942–1945, before which he was the Mayor of Colombo and first Municipal Commissioner from 1937 to 1941 in Ceylon. The Irish...
served in the Colonial Service
Colonial Service
The Colonial Service was the British government service which administered Britain's colonies and protectorates, under the authority of the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the Colonial Office in London....
and was active as mayor of Colombo
Mayor of Colombo
The Mayor of Colombo is the Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council. The post was created in 1866 when the Colombo Municipal Council established by the Legislative Council of Ceylon. The officers of the mayor are at the Colombo Town Hall. The mayors legal title is His worship the Mayor of...
and Governor General of the Bahamas (in succession to the Duke of Windsor
Duke of Windsor
The title Duke of Windsor was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1937 for Prince Edward, the former King Edward VIII, following his abdication in December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, a residence of English monarchs since the Norman Conquest, is...
). He first received his education at Canterbury School
Canterbury School
Canterbury School may refer to:*Canterbury School , a private, co-educational college preparatory lay-Catholic boarding school in New Milford, Connecticut...
and Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
. He won a scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, at 17, where he studied English under C.S. Lewis. He was later educated at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
and between 1953 and 1954, he ran a school at Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. In his Archaeology of Love (1955), Murphy reflects on his experiences in England and the Continent.
Return to Ireland
In 1954, he settled at Cleggan, on the coast of Galway. Several years later, in 1959, he purchased and renovated a traditional type of boat, which he used to ferry visitors to the island. In 1969, he purchased ArdoileánArdoileán
Ardoileán or Ard Oileán, known in English as High Island , is a small island off the northwest coast of Connemara in County Galway, Ireland...
(High Island), a small island in the vicinity of Inishbofin.
Since 1971 Murphy has been a poet-in-residence at nine American universities. Now he lives in Sri Lanka, he previously divided his time between Dublin and Durban, South Africa, where his daughter and her family reside. In 2002, a unique memoir of his life and times was published by Granta, constructed from astonishingly detailed diaries kept over the course of five decades.
Awards
In 1951, he received the Æ Memorial Award for Poetry in Ireland; first prize, Guinness Awards, Cheltenham (1962); British Arts Council Awards (1967 and 1976); Marten Toonder Award (1980); Fellow of the Royal Society of LiteratureRoyal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
(1969); and American-Irish Foundation Award (1983).
Secondary sources
- Welch, RobertRobert Anthony Welch-Biography:Robert Anthony Welch is Emeritus Professor of English in the Faculty of Arts BA MA PhD FEA MRIA and former Dean of the Faculty at the University of Ulster...
(ed.). The Oxford Companion to Irish LiteratureThe Oxford Companion to Irish LiteratureThe Oxford Companion to Irish Literature is edited by Robert Welch and was completed in 1996.In over 2,000 entries, the Companion to Irish Literature surveys the Irish literary landscape across some sixteen centuries, describing its features and landmarks...
. p. 383.
Further reading
- Bowers, Neal. "Richard Murphy: The Landscape of the Mind." Journal of Irish Literature 11.3 (1982): 33-42.
- Harmon, Maurice (ed.). Richard Murphy: Poet of Two Traditions. Dublin: Wolfhound, 1978.