A.C. Benson

Arthur Christopher Benson (1862-1925), from The Poems of A.C. Benson, 1909. Courtesy Internet Archive.

Arthur Christopher Benson (24 April 1862 - 17 June 1925) was an English poet and essayist, who served as the 28th Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge.

Life

Benson was 1 of 6 children of Edward White Benson (Archbishop of Canterbury, 1882-1896) and his wife Mary (Sidgwick), sister of philosopher Henry Sidgwick. His siblings included novelists E.F. Benson and Robert Hugh Benson, and Egyptologist Margaret Benson.

The Benson family was exceptionally literate and accomplished, but their history was somewhat tragic. A son and daughter died young; and another daughter, as well as Arthur himself, suffered badly from a mental condition that was probably manic-depressive psychosis, which they had inherited from their father. None of the children ever married.

Benson never married, and his diaries suggest that he was gay but asexual.

Despite his illness, Arthur was a distinguished academic and a prolific author. He was educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge.

From 1885 to 1903 he taught at Eton, returning to Cambridge to lecture in English literature for Magdalene College. From 1915 to 1925, he was Master of Magdalene. From 1906, he was a governor of Gresham's School.

Benson caricatured in Vanity Fair, June 1903. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

He died in Cambridge, aged 63. He is buried at the Ascension Parish Burial Ground in Cambridge.

Recognition

His poems and volumes of essays, such as From a College Window, were famous in his day; and he left 1 of the longest diaries ever written, some 4 million words. Today, he is best remembered as the author of the words to a well-loved patriotic song, Land of Hope and Glory.

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he founded in 1916 the Benson Medal to be awarded ‘in respect of meritorious works in poetry, fiction, history and belles lettres’

His poem "The Phoenix" was included in the Oxford Book of English Verse (1250-1900).

Publications

Poetry

• Le Cahier Jaune: Poems. Eton, UK: G. New, 1892.
• Poems. London: Elkin Mathews & John Lane, 1893.
• Lyrics. London: John Lane / New York: Macmillan, 1895.
• Lord Vyet, and other poems. London & New York: John Lane, 1897.
• Ode in Mamory of the Right Honourable William Ewart Gladstone. Eton, UK: R. Ingleton Drake, 1898.
• The Professor, and other poems. London & New York: John Lane, 1900.
• The Aschamite's Dream: A bicentenary ode. Eton: 1901.
• Ode to Japan. London: privately printed at the Chiswick Press, 1902.
• The Myrtle Bough: A vale. Eton, UK: Spottiswoode, 1903.
• The Olive Bough. Eton, UK: Spottiswoode, 1904.
• Poems, Sonnets, Songs, and Verses . London: George Bell , 1904.
• Peace, and other poems. . London & New York: John Lane, 1905.
• Hymns and Carols. Eton, UK: Spottiswoode, 1907.
• The Poems of A.C. Benson. London & New York: John Lane, 1909.
• At Various Times: A book of verses. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1910.
• Poems. London: S.I. Hardpress, 2013.

Fiction

• The Hill of Trouble, and other stories. London: Isbister, 1903.
• The Isles of Sunset. London: Isbister, 1904.
• The Upton Letters. New York & London: Putnam, 1905.
• The Gate of Death: A diary. New York & London: Putnam, 1906.
• The Altar Fire'. New York & London: Putnam, 1907.
• Beside Still Waters. New York & London: Putnam, 1907.
• The Silent Isle. New York & London: Putnam, 1910.
• The Child of the Dawn. New York & London: Putnam, 1912
  • republished as Child of the Dawn: A journey from death to rebirth. Jean, NV: New Logo Press, 1994.
• Thy Rod and thy Staff. New York & London: Putnam, 1912.
• Watersprings. New York & London: Putnam, 1913.
• The Orchard Pavilion. New York & London: Putnam, 1914.
• Father Payne. New York & London: Putnam, 1916.
• Meanwhile: A packet of war letters. London" John Murray, 1916.
• The House of Menerdue. London: Heinemann, 1924.
• Chris Gascoigne: An experiment in solitude, from the diaries of John Trevor. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1924.
• Cressage. London: Heinemann, 1927.
• Basil Netherby. London: Hutchinson, [1927?]
• Paul the Minstrel, and other stories. London: Smith, Elder / New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1912; Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Press, 1972.
• Memoirs of Arthur Hamilton, B.A.. New York: Garland Publishing, 1977.
• The Temple of Death: Ghost stories of A.C. Benson and R.H. Benson. Ware, UK: Wordsworth Editions, 2007.

Non-fiction

• William Laud, sometime Archbishop of Canterbury: A study. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, 1887.
• Men of Might: Studies of great characters (with H.F.W. Tatham). London: E. Arnold, 1892.
• Gray. Eton, UK: R. Ingalton Drake, 1895.
• Genealogy of the Family of Benson: Of Banger House and Northwoods, in the parish of Ripon and Chapelry of Pateley Bridge: with biographical and illustrative notes. Eton, UK: G. New, 1895.
• Essays by Arthur Christopher Benson. London: Heinemann, 1896; New York: Macmillan, 1898.
• Fasti Etonenses: A biographical history of Eton, selected from the lives of celebrated Etonians. Eton: UK: R.I. Drake; London: Simpkin, Marshall, 1898.
• The Life of Edward White Benson, sometime Archbishop of Canterbury. London: Macmillan, 1899-1900, 1901.
• Mary Eleanor Benson: A memoir. 1901.
• Rossetti. London & New York: Macmillan, 1904.
• Edward FitzGerald. . London & New York: Macmillan, 1905.
• From a College Window. New York & London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1906.
• Alfred Tennyson. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1907; Greenwood Press, 1969.
• The House of Quiet: An autobiography (edited by G.J.T.). London: John Murray, 1904; New York: E.P. Dutton, 1907.
• Walter Pater. London & New York: Macmillan, 1906.
• The Thread of Gold. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1907.
• The School-Master: A commentary upon the aims and methods of an assistant master in a public school. New York & London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1908.
• Contentment. . New York & London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1907.
• At Large. New York & London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1908.
• Until the Evening. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1909.
• The Leaves of the Tree: Studies in biography. New York & London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1911.
• Tennyson. London: Methuen, 1912.
• Joyous Gard. New York & London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1913.
• Along the Road. New York & London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1913.
• Ruskin: A study in personality. London: John Murray, 1913.
• Where No Fear Was: A book about fear. London: Smith, Elder / New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1914.
• Escape, and other essays. New York: Century, 1915.
• Hugh: Memoirs of a brother. New York: Longmans Green, 1915.
• Lest We Forget. London: Civic Arts Association, 1917.
• The Life and Letters of Maggie Benson. London: John Murray, 1918.
• Cambridge Essays on Education. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1918; Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Press, 1967.
• Magdalen College, Cambridge: A little view of its buildings and history. Cambridge, UK: Bowes & Bowes, 1923.
• The Trefoil: Wellington College, Lincoln, and Truro. London: John Murray, 1923.
• Memories and Friends. New York & London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1924.
• A.C. Benson. London: George G. Harrup, 1926.
• Rambles and Reflections. London: John Murray, 1926.
• The Life of Alcibiades (edited by E.F. Benson). London: Benn, 1928.
• Mary Benson: A memoir. Rye, UK: E.F. Benson Society, 2010.

Translated

• The Reed of Pan: English renderings of Greek epigrams (from the Greek Anthology) and lyrics. London: John Murray, 1922.

Collected editions

• The Beauty of Life: Being selections from the writings of Arthur Christopher Benson (edited by Carolyn Abbott Derby). New York: Hodder & Stoughton, [1912?].

Etc.

• A Thought for Every Day. London: John Murray, 1905.
• The Thread of Gold: Compiled from the books of A.C. Benson (a calendar). Cheltenham, UK: J.J. Banks, 1914. 

Letters and journals

• The Diary of Arthur Christopher Benson (edited by Percy Lubbock). London: Hutchinson; New York: Longmans Green, 1926.
• Extracts from the Letters of A.C. Benson to M.E.A. (with M.E. Allen). London: Jarrolds, 1926.
• Edwardian Excursions: From the diaries of A.C. Benson, 1898-1904. London: John Murray, 1981.
• Bensonia: From two notebooks of A.C. Benson (edited by Logan Pearsall Smith, John A Gere, & Blanche Warre Cornish). Settrington, UK: Stone Trough, 1999.

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.

See also

LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY LYRICS (BEST VERSION)

• List of British poets

References

• Tuck, Donald H. (1974). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Chicago: Advent. pp. 39. ISBN 0-911682-20-1. 
• Wilson, Keith. "A. C. Benson," in Robert Beum, ed., Dictionary of Literary Biography: British Essayists, 1880-1960. Detroit: Gale, 1990, 192-204.

External links

Template:Sister

Poems

• "The Phoenix".
• "Prayer"
• "After Construing"
• "Land of Hope and Glory"
• "Ode to Japan"
• Benson in A Victorian Anthology: "Knapweed," "Realism," "An English Shell," "After Construing"
• Benson Arthur Christopher (1862-1925) (5 poems) at Representative Poetry Online
• Arthur Christopher Benson at PoemHunter (10 poems)

Prose

• Essays by Arthur Benson at Quotidiana.org

Quotes

• Quotes of A.C. Benson at Brainy Quote

Books

• Works by A.C. Benson at Project Gutenberg
• A.C. Benson at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Arthur Christopher Benson at the Online Books Page

About

• A.C. Benson at The Famous People
• Arthur Christopher (A.C.) Benson (1862-1925) at The Victorian Web
• Arthur Christopher Benson at Find a Grave