Ewart Milne facts for kids
Ewart Milne (born May 25, 1903 – died January 14, 1987) was an Irish poet. He often described himself as an adventurer. He was a sailor, an ambulance driver during the Spanish Civil War, and a farmer. He also called himself a fan of "lost causes." This meant he cared deeply about national, political, and human struggles.
Contents
A Life of Adventure
Ewart Milne was born in Dublin, Ireland. His parents were from England and Ireland. He went to school at Christchurch Cathedral Grammar School. In 1920, when he was 17, he became a sailor. He worked on boats until 1935.
Early Writing and Politics
During the 1930s, Ewart Milne started writing. His first poems were published in 1935. That same year, he helped start a publication called Irish Front. He worked with two other poets, Charlie Donnelly and Leslie Daiken.
The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) made him more interested in politics. He moved to England to help the Spanish Medical Aid Committee in London. This group sent medical help to Spain. Milne often delivered supplies. He once mentioned being accidentally involved in an arms deal while in Spain.
After the Spanish Medical Aid Committee finished its work, Milne went back to Ireland. He continued to be active in politics. He supported the release of Frank Ryan. Ryan was an Irish volunteer leader fighting in Spain. Milne even went to Westminster to ask the Labour Party for help. In 1938, he was part of a committee for the James Connolly Irish club in London.
Literary Connections and War Years
While in England and Spain, Milne met many poets who supported the Republican side. These included W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender, and Cecil Day-Lewis. In 1938, his first poetry book, Forty North Fifty West, came out. Two more books followed in 1940 and 1941.
Ireland was neutral during World War II. However, Milne supported Britain. A German official in Dublin told him he was on a Nazi death list. This made him decide to help the British war effort. He returned to England with help from John Betjeman.
Life in England and Return to Ireland
From 1942 to 1962, Milne lived in England. He was an active part of the English writing scene. He was connected with poets from the magazine Nine. He and his wife, Thelma, also supported young Irish poet Patrick Galvin. They helped Galvin start his own magazine, Chanticleer. Milne was very generous in encouraging new writers. He helped people like John F. Deane, Gerald Dawe, and Maurice Scully.
Milne moved back to Dublin in 1962. He later called this time a "disaster." He had arguments with important people and felt betrayed by a friend. His wife also died from lung cancer during this period. He wrote about these sad events in Time Stopped (1967). His frustration also led to poems in Cantata Under Orion (1976).
In 1966, he returned to England and settled in Bedford. He died there from a heart attack in 1987.
Family Life
Ewart Milne was married twice. His first wife was Kathleen Ida Bradner. They married in 1927 and had two sons. In 1948, he married Thelma Dobson. They also had two sons.
His Poetry
Milne did not follow the popular "Celtic Twilight" style of poetry. This style was common when he was young. He often wrote poems that talked to other poets. These included Ezra Pound, Dylan Thomas, and Sylvia Plath.
Milne often felt overlooked because of his background. He would say, "The English see I am not English...To the Irish I am Anglo." He did not like being put into one category. Moving between Ireland and England made this feeling stronger.
Spanish Civil War Poems
From the 1970s, his role in the Spanish Civil War brought him back into public notice. The poems he wrote about the war were mostly in his second book, Letter from Ireland (1940). He also wrote stories based on his experiences. Only three of these were published in the 1930s. The rest, plus a story about a gun-running deal, came out in 1985 in Drums Without End.
Milne's best poetry used a flowing, long-lined style. You can find good examples in his selected poem books: Diamond Cut Diamond (1950) and A Garland for the Green (1962). Later in his life, his poems became more about his own life.
Later Works and Recognition
Milne's 80th birthday was celebrated with a new book of poems. It was called The Folded Leaf (1983) and focused on his youth. A special issue of the magazine Prospice was also published. He gave an hour-long poetry reading in Dublin. He was working on another collection, The Broken Arcs, before he died. However, it was never published.
Books
Poetry:
- Forty North Fifty West (Dublin: Gayfield 1938 with six woodcuts by Cecil Salkeld)
- Letter from Ireland: Verses (Dublin: Gayfield Press 1940), ix, 79pp
- Listen Mangan: Poems (Dublin: Sign of Three Candles 1941), 102pp
- Jubilo: Poems (London: F. Muller Ltd. 1944), vi, 47, [1]pp
- Boding Day (London: F. Muller Ltd. 1947), 22p
- Diamond Cut Diamond: Selected Poems (London: Bodley Head 1950), 64pp
- Elegy for a Lost Submarine (Burnham-on-Crouch: Plow Poems 1951), [8]pp
- Galion: a mock epic with prologue and epilogue (Dublin: Dolmen 1953, title page illustrated by Mia Cranwill)
- Life Arboreal: Poems (Tunbridge Wells: Pound Press 1953), 94, [2]pp
- Once More to Tourney: A Book of Ballads and Light Verse, Serious, Gay and Grisly, intro. by J. M. Cohen (London: Linden Press [1958]), 96pp
- A Garland for the Green: Poems (London: Hutchinson 1962), 95pp
- Time Stopped: A Poem Sequence with Prose Intermissions (London: Plow Poems 1967), 165pp
- Cantata Under Orion (Isle of Skye: Aquila Poetry 1976), 54pp
- Drift of Pinions (Isle of Skye: Aquila & Wayzgoose Press 1976), [16]pp
- The Black Lady, Poetry Ireland poems No. 14, December 1979, [1]p
- Deus Est Qui Regit Omnia [St. Beuno's Hand Printed Ltd. Edns. No. 9] (Mornington: J. F. & B. Deane 1980), [16]pp
- Spring Offering (Isle of Skye: Aquila 1981)
- The Folded Leaf: Poems 1970–1980 (Isle of Skye: Aquila Poetry 1983), 69pp
Prose:
- Drums Without End (Portree [Isle of Skye]: Aquila 1985), 101pp.
