Simon Watson Taylor (surrealist)
Encyclopedia
Simon Watson Taylor was an English
actor
and translator, often associated with the Surrealist movement. He was born in Wallingford, Oxfordshire on 15 May 1923 and died in London on 4 November 2005.
He was secretary for the British Surrealist Group
and edited the English language surrealist review Free Union but later became a key player in the "science" of Pataphysics.
Educated in England, France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria Taylor lived in Paris in 1946-7, working for the English section of Radio-diffusion Francaise.
Taylor's extensive work as a translator of modern and avant-garde French literature and books about art included Surrealism and Painting by André Breton
and plays by Boris Vian
including The Empire Builders, The Generals’ Tea Party and The Knackers’ ABC. Others were The Cenci by Antonin Artaud
, Paris Peasant by Louis Aragon
and numerous works by Alfred Jarry
. His collection of Jarry's The Ubu
Plays (Methuen, London, 1968) included translations by himself and Cyril Connolly
and remains in print.
In 1968 Taylor edited French Writing Today, published in the United Kingdom by Penguin and in 1969 by Grove Press in the United States.
Taylor was an editorial advisor and frequent contributor to the London based magazine Art and Artists and was the guest co-editor (with Roger Shattuck) of a special issue (May-June 1960) of the American literary magazine Evergreen Review
; titled What is Pataphysics?
With Shattuck he also edited The Selected Works of Alfred Jarry (Methuen & Co, London, 1965).
Taylor's papers are in a collection at The University of Tulsa.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and translator, often associated with the Surrealist movement. He was born in Wallingford, Oxfordshire on 15 May 1923 and died in London on 4 November 2005.
He was secretary for the British Surrealist Group
British Surrealist Group
The British Surrealist Group was involved in the organisation of the International Surrealist Exhibition in London in 1936.The London Bulletin was published by the Surrealist Group in England, according to the June 1940 edition , edited by E. L. T...
and edited the English language surrealist review Free Union but later became a key player in the "science" of Pataphysics.
Educated in England, France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria Taylor lived in Paris in 1946-7, working for the English section of Radio-diffusion Francaise.
Taylor's extensive work as a translator of modern and avant-garde French literature and books about art included Surrealism and Painting by André Breton
André Breton
André Breton was a French writer and poet. He is known best as the founder of Surrealism. His writings include the first Surrealist Manifesto of 1924, in which he defined surrealism as "pure psychic automatism"....
and plays by Boris Vian
Boris Vian
Boris Vian was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer. He is best remembered today for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan were bizarre parodies of criminal fiction, highly controversial at the time of their...
including The Empire Builders, The Generals’ Tea Party and The Knackers’ ABC. Others were The Cenci by Antonin Artaud
Antonin Artaud
Antoine Marie Joseph Artaud, more well-known as Antonin Artaud was a French playwright, poet, actor and theatre director...
, Paris Peasant by Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon , was a French poet, novelist and editor, a long-time member of the Communist Party and a member of the Académie Goncourt.- Early life :...
and numerous works by Alfred Jarry
Alfred Jarry
Alfred Jarry was a French writer born in Laval, Mayenne, France, not far from the border of Brittany; he was of Breton descent on his mother's side....
. His collection of Jarry's The Ubu
Ubu
Ubu may refer to:*Ubu Repertory Theater*Ubu, Nepal*Ubu or Uub, a character in Dragon Ball media*Ubu Roi , a French play by Alfred Jarry, along with subsequent plays Ubu Cocu and Ubu Enchaîné featured "Ubu" as the main character*Ubu Roi, mascot of Ubu Productions*Pere Ubu, an experimental rock...
Plays (Methuen, London, 1968) included translations by himself and Cyril Connolly
Cyril Connolly
Cyril Vernon Connolly was an English intellectual, literary critic and writer. He was the editor of the influential literary magazine Horizon and wrote Enemies of Promise , which combined literary criticism with an autobiographical exploration of why he failed to become the successful author of...
and remains in print.
In 1968 Taylor edited French Writing Today, published in the United Kingdom by Penguin and in 1969 by Grove Press in the United States.
Taylor was an editorial advisor and frequent contributor to the London based magazine Art and Artists and was the guest co-editor (with Roger Shattuck) of a special issue (May-June 1960) of the American literary magazine Evergreen Review
Evergreen Review
Evergreen Review is a U.S.-based literary magazine founded by Barney Rosset, publisher of Grove Press. It existed in print from 1957 through 1973, and was re-launched online in 1998...
; titled What is Pataphysics?
With Shattuck he also edited The Selected Works of Alfred Jarry (Methuen & Co, London, 1965).
Taylor's papers are in a collection at The University of Tulsa.
External links
- Obituary by George MellyGeorge MellyAlan George Heywood Melly was an English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer and lecturer. From 1965 to 1973 he was a film and television critic for The Observer and lectured on art history, with an emphasis on surrealism.-Early life and career:He was born in Liverpool and was educated at Stowe...
in The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
(UK)