Michael Roberts

Michael Whitworth (University of Oxford)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Birmingham Newman University), Louise McDonald (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Dates

Born 6 Dec 1902
Died Dec 1948
Activity 1922-1948

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Literary Critic/ Historian
Poet
Teacher/ Professor

Resources

Roberts' Works

Save to Bookshelf

Michael Roberts (1902-1948) is usually remembered as an anthologist and as a peripheral member of the Auden group, but this reputation has served to obscure his distinctive and innovative work as a poet and critic. His distinctiveness may be attributed in part to his unusual career path. Born on 6 December 1902 in Bournemouth, he was brought up there and in the New Forest, where his parents had a farm. In 1920 he entered King's College London on a scholarship to read chemistry, and then in 1922 he entered Trinity College Cambridge on an Exhibition to read mathematics. It was at Cambridge that he adopted the forename Michael – he had been christened William Edward Roberts – taking it from his hero, the Russian poet and scientist Lomonosov. On graduating in 1925 he began a career as a…

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980 words

Citation: Whitworth, Michael. "Michael Roberts". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 July 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3808, accessed 24 November 2024.]