Oliver Bernard

Oliver Bernard (6 December 1925 - 1 June 2013)[1] was an English poet and translator. He is perhaps best known for translating Arthur Rimbaud into English as part of the Penguin Classics collection.

Bernard was born in London, to the English architect Oliver Percy Bernard OBE and the opera singer Dora Hodges. He had two brothers, the art critic and photographer Bruce Bernard and the journalist Jeffrey Bernard. All three brothers were prominent in London's literary and artistic scene in the mid-twentieth century.[2]

Bernard published a book of memoirs.[3] Tony Benn wrote of Oliver Bernard, "Oliver Bernard's Peace Poems are sensitive and perceptive in their description of the militaristic society which imprisons us all. They also offer some comforting visions of life as it could be if we release the compassion that is in us all."[4]

Bernard was a third cousin to the actor Stanley Holloway[5] by way of his father, Oliver Percy Bernard, who was Holloway's second cousin. Bernard was distantly related to the former model and author Sophie Dahl, who is the granddaughter of Holloway.[6]

In later life, Bernard converted to Roman Catholicism and lived in a small cottage in Kenninghall, Norfolk. He was married twice and had three children.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "He was the nice one: farewell to Oliver Bernard". London Evening Standard. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Oliver Bernard obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  3. ↑ Bernard, O. (1992). Getting Over It: Recollections. London: Peter Owen. ISBN 0720608651.
  4. ↑ Bernard, O. (1985). Five Peace Poems. London: Five Seasons Press. 0947960015.
  5. ↑ "He was the nice one: farewell to Oliver Bernard", London Evening Standard, 4 June 2013
  6. ↑ Holloway, Stanley; Richards, Dick (1967). Wiv a little bit o’ luck: The life story of Stanley Holloway. London: Frewin. OCLC 3647363. Also published as Holloway, Stanley; Richards, Dick (1967). Wiv a little bit o’ luck: The life story of Stanley Holloway. New York: Stein and Day. OCLC 1373117.
  7. ↑ "Oliver Bernard obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.