Henry Reed (poet) facts for kids

Henry Reed (born February 22, 1914 – died December 8, 1986) was a talented British writer. He was known for his poems, for translating other languages, for writing plays for radio, and for being a journalist.

Early Life and Education

Henry Reed was born in Birmingham, England. He went to King Edward VI School, Aston. After that, he studied at the University of Birmingham.

At university, he met other famous writers. These included W. H. Auden, Louis MacNeice, and Walter Allen. He earned a master's degree. Later, he worked as a teacher and a journalist.

Henry Reed's War Service

In 1941, Henry Reed joined the Army during World War II. He spent most of the war working as a translator. His job was to translate Japanese.

Even though he knew French and Italian, he found Japanese very hard. He mainly learned military words. His friend, Walter Allen, joked that Henry wanted to forget every Japanese word after the war.

Working at the BBC

After the war, Henry Reed worked for the BBC. He was a radio presenter, a translator, and a writer of radio plays.

The Hilda Tablet Radio Series

One of his most famous works was the Hilda Tablet radio series. This series was broadcast in the 1950s. Douglas Cleverdon produced these popular shows.

The first play was called A Very Great Man Indeed. It pretended to be a documentary. It was about someone researching a book about a dead writer named Richard Shewin.

Henry Reed had researched the novelist Thomas Hardy himself. This experience helped him write the play.

Meet Dame Hilda Tablet

In the play, a character named Hilda Tablet became very popular. She was a 'Twelve-tone composeress' and a friend of Richard Shewin. She convinced the biographer to write about her instead. She even told him it would take "not more than twelve volumes"!

Hilda Tablet later became "Dame Hilda". Her character was partly based on two real composers. They were Ethel Smyth and Elisabeth Lutyens. Elisabeth Lutyens was not happy about it.

Henry Reed's Poetry

Henry Reed is most famous for his poetry collection called Lessons of the War. These were originally three poems. They were funny poems about British army training during World War II. At that time, the army often lacked proper equipment.

These poems were first published in a magazine in 1942. Later, they appeared in his book A Map of Verona in 1946. This was the only poetry book he published during his lifetime.

Naming of Parts

The first poem in Lessons of the War is called "Naming of Parts". This poem was often taught in schools. Three more poems were later added to the series.

Another well-known poem is "Chard Whitlow: Mr. Eliot's Sunday Evening Postscript". This poem made fun of T. S. Eliot's famous poem Burnt Norton. Eliot himself found "Chard Whitlow" amusing. He liked its sad imitation of his own poetic style.

In 1966, Henry Reed read all of Lessons of the War for a BBC radio program.

Confusion with Herbert Read

Henry Reed was often mistaken for another writer. This was the poet and critic Herbert Read (1893 – 1968). They were not related at all.

Henry Reed even joked about this confusion in his Hilda Tablet plays. He named his biographer character "Herbert Reeve". Then, other characters would always get the name slightly wrong.

Henry Reed's Legacy

The writings and papers of Henry Reed are kept safe. You can find them in the Special Collections of the University of Birmingham Library.