Hubert Butler facts for kids
Hubert Butler (born October 23, 1900 – died January 5, 1991) was an Irish writer known for his essays. He wrote about many different topics, from local history and old buildings to the politics and religions of Eastern Europe, especially during World War II. He also traveled to Nazi Austria on his own and helped save Jews from being sent to dangerous camps.
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Early Life and Family
Hubert Butler was born on October 23, 1900, at his family home called Maiden Hall. This home was near the village of Bennettsbridge in County Kilkenny, Ireland. In 1922, he finished his studies at St John's College, Oxford, where he learned about ancient history and languages.
After college, he worked for the Irish County Libraries until 1926. Then, he traveled a lot in countries like Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, and Montenegro. Later, he worked with the Quakers in Vienna, helping Jewish people escape after Austria was taken over by the Nazis.
When his father, George Butler, passed away in 1941, Hubert inherited Maiden Hall. He lived there with his family by the River Nore until he died in 1991. His wife, Susan Margaret, was often called Peggy. She was the sister of famous theater director Tyrone Guthrie. Peggy was very important in starting the Kilkenny Art Gallery Society.
Today, the Butler family still owns Maiden Hall. Hubert's granddaughter, Suzanna Crampton, runs a part of it as a farm called Zwartbles Ireland. She continues her grandfather's interest in ecological farming and also writes books and gives talks.
Writer and Historian
Hubert Butler wanted people to understand Irish history better. He believed in studying the land, the people, and old documents. He helped restart the Kilkenny Archaeological Society. Through this group, he worked to bring Catholics and Protestants closer together.
His writing was always clever and subtle. He often used small, local events to explain bigger political ideas and challenges in Ireland. One of his famous books, Ten Thousand Saints, explored a theory. He thought that old Irish legends about saints might actually be about ancient tribes and groups moving around Europe. He even suggested that the Old Testament could be similar for Jewish history.
Helping Jews Escape Danger
In 1938, Hubert Butler was very upset by hateful comments made about Jewish people in Ireland. One politician even said very cruel things. In response, Butler wrote that he was just as Irish as anyone else and was determined to help Jewish refugees come to Ireland.
He traveled to Austria and began helping people. The first family he saved was Erwin Strunz, his wife, and their two children. He helped them travel from Austria to Ireland. He kept working with both Irish and American Quakers. He helped dozens of Jewish people get special papers to leave Vienna and escape to Ireland. He also helped them settle in the Americas.
Life After World War II
After World War II, Hubert Butler continued to speak out about important issues. In 1947, he gave a radio talk about Yugoslavia. He was criticized for not mentioning the difficulties faced by Catholics there. He responded by trying to highlight something he saw as a bigger problem. This was the involvement of some Catholic clergy with the Ustaša. The Ustaša was a group that worked with the Nazis and harmed many non-Catholics in Yugoslavia during the war.
Butler's efforts to bring this to light caused a lot of trouble for him in Ireland. He even felt he had to leave the archaeological society he had helped revive.
Hubert Butler was also a keen gardener. He had many interesting friends, including Mary Poppins creator Pamela Travers, journalist Claud Cockburn, and poet Padraic Colum. He strongly believed in the importance of family. He worked to keep his own large family connected and also founded the Butler Society.
He is buried near his family home at St. Peter's Church, Ennisnag, Kilkenny. The Butler Gallery in Kilkenny, an art gallery, was named in honor of Hubert and Peggy Butler.
Books by Hubert Butler
- Ten Thousand Saints: A Study in Irish and European Origins, Wellbrook Press (1972)
- Ten Thousand Saints: A Study in Irish and European Origins, a new edition, amplified and updated, Lilliput Press (2011)
- The Sub-Prefect Should Have Held His Tongue, and Other Essays, edited by R.F. Foster, Allen Lane The Penguin Press (London 1990)
Translations by Hubert Butler
- Anton Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard. Introduction by Tyrone Guthrie. London: H.F.W. Dane & Sons Ltd; Boston.: Baker's Plays (1934)
- Leonid Leonov, The Thief. London: Martin Warburg (1931) New York: Vintage (1960)
Collected Essays by Hubert Butler
Published by the Lilliput Press of Dublin:
- Escape from the Anthill (1985)
- Escape from the Anthill, revised with corrections (1986)
- The Children of Drancy (1988)
- Grandmother and Wolf Tone (1990)
- In the Land of Nod (1996).
- The Appleman and the Poet (2014).
Published in the US by Farrar, Straus and Giroux:
- Independent Spirit (1997)
Published in France by Editions Anatolia:
- L'Envahisseur est venu en Pantoufles (1995) with an introduction by Joseph Brodsky
Books About Hubert Butler
- Doctoral thesis by Robert B. Tobin, Oxford D.Phil., 2004: The minority voice: Hubert Butler, southern Protestantism and intellectual dissent, 1930-72.
