Ronald Knox facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Reverend Monsignor Ronald Knox |
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Knox c. 1928
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1918 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 February 1888 Kibworth, Leicestershire, England |
| Died | 24 August 1957 (aged 69) Mells, Somerset, England |
| Buried | Church of St Andrew, Mells 51°14′31″N 2°23′26″W / 51.241928°N 2.390525°W |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Parents | Edmund Knox (father) |
| Previous post | Anglican priest in the Church of England (1912–1917) |
Ronald Arbuthnott Knox (born February 17, 1888 – died August 24, 1957) was an English Catholic priest, writer, and radio speaker. He was known for his work as a theologian and for his popular detective novels.
Knox studied at top schools like Eton and Balliol College, Oxford. He was very good at studying ancient Greek and Roman texts. He first became a priest in the Church of England in 1912.
In 1917, Knox decided to become a Catholic. He then became a Catholic priest in 1918. He continued his important writing and scholarly work.
From 1926 to 1939, Knox was the Catholic chaplain at the University of Oxford. He also translated the Bible into English. This translation, called the "Knox Bible", was used in Catholic churches for many years. In 1951, he received a special honor from the Pope and was called "monsignor".
Knox wrote many books about religion, philosophy, and literature. He also wrote several popular detective fiction books. He is famous for his "Ten Commandments" for detective stories. These rules helped readers try to solve the mystery along with the detective.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Ronald Knox was born into an Anglican family. His birthplace was Kibworth, Leicestershire, England. His father, Edmund Arbuthnott Knox, later became a important leader in the Church of England. He was the Bishop of Manchester.
Ronald went to Eaton House School in London. He also attended Summer Fields School in Oxford. Then, he went to Eton College, a famous school, in 1900.
Later, Ronald studied at Balliol College, Oxford. He won a top scholarship for classics in 1904. He earned many other awards during his time there. These included scholarships and prizes for Greek and Latin writing. In 1910, he became a fellow at Trinity College, Oxford.
Knox was interested in Anglo-Catholicism. This was a part of the Anglican church that had beliefs similar to Catholicism. He took a break from his studies in 1911. During this time, he taught classics to Harold Macmillan, who later became a Prime Minister.
From Anglican to Catholic Priest
In 1912, Knox became an Anglican priest. He was also made a chaplain at Trinity College. During World War I, he worked for British military intelligence. This meant he helped gather important information for the army.
In 1915, he taught at Shrewsbury School. Students there remembered him as a dedicated and fun teacher.
In 1917, Knox decided to become a Roman Catholic. He left his job as an Anglican chaplain. His father was upset by this choice and removed Knox from his will. In 1918, Knox became a Roman Catholic priest. He then worked at St Edmund's College until 1926.
Knox wrote a book called A Spiritual Aeneid in 1918. In it, he explained why he became Catholic. He said that the writer G. K. Chesterton influenced him. Chesterton later became Catholic himself in 1922. He said Knox had helped him make that decision.
Working at Oxford University
Knox wrote and spoke about Christianity and other topics. From 1926 to 1939, he was the Catholic chaplain at the University of Oxford. He was given the special title of monsignor in 1936. During this time, he also wrote his classic detective stories.
In 1929, Knox created ten rules for writing detective stories. These rules were called a "decalogue". He was also a founding member of the Detection Club. This was a group of famous detective fiction writers. He wrote several detective novels and short stories. These featured a private investigator named Miles Bredon.
Translating the Bible
In 1936, Knox was asked by his church leaders to translate the Bible. He translated the Latin Vulgate Bible into English. He used original Hebrew and Greek texts to help him.
Knox also wrote many books on religious topics. These included The Belief of Catholics (1927) and Heaven and Charing Cross (1935). When G. K. Chesterton died in 1936, Knox gave a special speech praising him. This was at Chesterton's funeral service in Westminster Cathedral.
Writing Detective Stories
Knox also wrote essays that made fun of serious topics. One essay, "Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes", pretended that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were real people. Another essay, "The Authorship of In Memoriam", tried to "prove" that Tennyson's poem was written by Queen Victoria.
In 1954, Knox traveled to Africa. While there, he began translating The Imitation of Christ. After returning to England, he started translating Autobiography of a Saint. He also began writing a book to explain Catholic beliefs to a wider audience.
In 1957, Knox became very sick with terminal cancer. He stayed at 10 Downing Street while seeing a doctor in London. This was at the invitation of Harold Macmillan, who was then Prime Minister.
Knox died on August 24, 1957. His body was brought to Westminster Cathedral. He was buried in the churchyard of St Andrew's Church in Mells.
The Famous Radio Hoax
In January 1926, Ronald Knox created a famous radio prank on BBC Radio. He presented a fake live report called Broadcasting the Barricades. It pretended that a revolution was happening in London. The broadcast mixed music from the Savoy Hotel with sounds of the hotel being destroyed. It even claimed that the Houses of Parliament and the Clock Tower were ruined.
It was a snowy weekend, so newspapers could not be delivered in many parts of the UK. Because of this, some people believed the fake news. They thought a real revolution was happening in London. People were already worried about public disorder. This was because of the General Strike that happened later that year.
Years later, Orson Welles said this BBC broadcast gave him an idea. He used it for his own famous 1938 radio show, "The War of the Worlds". That show also caused a panic among some American listeners. A BBC report in 2005 also suggested Knox's broadcast might have influenced Welles.
The script for this radio show is in Knox's book Essays in Satire (1928). It is called "A Forgotten Interlude".
Ronald Knox's Detective Rules
Many detective novels from Knox's time are called "The Golden Age of Detective Fiction". These stories were often "whodunits". They had clear rules to let the reader try to solve the mystery.
What is a Whodunit?
According to Knox, a detective story:
must have as its main interest the unravelling of a mystery; a mystery whose elements are clearly presented to the reader at an early stage in the proceedings, and whose nature is such as to arouse curiosity, a curiosity which is gratified at the end.
He then explained his ten rules for writing detective stories:
- The criminal must be mentioned early in the story. But the reader should not know what the criminal is thinking.
- No magic or supernatural things are allowed.
- Only one secret room or passage is allowed.
- No new, unknown poisons can be used. Also, no special tools that need a long scientific explanation at the end.
- No "Chinaman" must be in the story. (This rule refers to how Asian characters were often shown with harmful stereotypes in old detective stories.)
- The detective must never get help from an accident. They also cannot have a sudden, unexplained feeling that turns out to be right.
- The detective themselves must not be the criminal.
- The detective must tell the reader about any clues they find.
- The detective's helper, like Dr. Watson, must not hide any thoughts from the reader. Their intelligence should be a little bit lower than the average reader's.
- Twin brothers or people who look exactly alike should not appear. Unless the reader has been prepared for them earlier in the story.
See also
- Golden Age of Detective Fiction
Images for kids
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Knox c. 1928
