Ruth Pitter facts for kids

Ruth Pitter (born November 7, 1897 – died February 29, 1992) was a famous British poet. She was the first woman to win the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1955, which is a very special award for poets. She also received another high honor, being made a Commander of the CBE in 1979, for her important contributions to English writing. In 1974, she was named a "Companion of Literature" by the Royal Society of Literature, which is their top award.

Early Life and School

Ruth Pitter was born in Ilford, England. She was the oldest of three children. Her parents, George and Louisa Pitter, were both teachers in a poorer part of London. Even though she grew up in simple surroundings, her childhood became special when she discovered Hainault Forest. She thought the forest was "magical." Ruth went to school at the Coborn School in Bow.

Her Career Journey

Ruth Pitter worked at the War Office from 1915 to 1917. After that, she became a painter at a furniture company in Suffolk, called Walberswick Peasant Pottery Co. She stayed there until 1930. While in Suffolk, she became friends with Richard and Ida Blair, who were the parents of the famous writer George Orwell. Later, in 1927, Ruth even helped Orwell find a place to live in London. She was interested in his writing, though she often had her own ideas about it.

Later, Ruth and her good friend, Kathleen O'Hara, started their own small business called Deane and Forester. They specialized in painting beautiful designs on furniture. This business had to close when World War II started. During the war, Ruth worked in a factory. After the war ended, she and Kathleen opened another small business, this time painting designs on trays. Ruth was very skilled at painting flowers, which she used for both furniture and tray decorating.

From 1946 to 1972, Ruth Pitter was often a guest on BBC radio shows. From 1956 to 1960, she regularly appeared on the BBC's The Brains Trust, which was one of the first talk shows on television.

Becoming a Poet

Ruth Pitter started writing poetry when she was young, inspired by her parents who were teachers. In 1920, she published her first book of poems with help from Hilaire Belloc. Even with her jobs in business and factories, Ruth always found a few hours each day to write her poetry.

Over her 70-year career as a published poet, she released 18 books of new and collected poems. Many of her books were well-received by critics and sold well.

She won the Hawthornden Prize in 1937 for her book A Trophy of Arms, which was published the year before. In 1954, she won the William E. Heinemann Award for her book The Ermine.

Her Poetic Style

Ruth Pitter was a traditional poet. This means she mostly stuck to older ways of writing poetry, using clear rhythm and rhyme patterns, much like poets from the 1800s. She didn't try many of the new, experimental styles that other poets were using at the time.

Because of her traditional style, some critics didn't pay much attention to her work back then. However, in more recent years, people have started to see how important her poetry is. Her reputation grew partly because the famous poet Philip Larkin really admired her work. He even included four of her poems in a well-known collection called The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse.

Ruth Pitter was also a good friend of the famous writer C. S. Lewis, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis greatly admired her poetry. They often wrote letters to each other, where Lewis would give her feedback on her poems, and she would do the same for his. Many experts believe that Ruth Pitter's ideas influenced C. S. Lewis's writing in the 1940s and 1950s.

Other important writers like W. B. Yeats, Robin Skelton, and Thom Gunn also appreciated Ruth Pitter's work. Lord David Cecil once said that Ruth Pitter was one of the most original and touching poets alive at the time.

Ruth Pitter's work is still published in many poetry collections today, including:

• The Faber Book of 20th Century Women's Poetry (1987)
• More Poetry Please! 100 Popular Poems from the BBC Radio 4 Programme (1988)
• The Oxford Book of Garden Verse (1993)
• The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women (1996)
• The New Penguin Book of English Verse (2000)

Her Christian Faith

Ruth Pitter often spoke about how much C. S. Lewis influenced her Christian faith. She explained that for a lot of her life, she lived a very free and unconventional lifestyle. But when World War II began, C. S. Lewis gave many radio talks and published some small books, like "The Screwtape Letters." Ruth found these very powerful and became interested in Christianity.

She later got to know Lewis personally, and he visited her several times. Ruth said that Lewis's stories, which were always about the battle between good and evil, became a lasting part of her way of thinking and her spiritual life. She decided to become a Christian and was confirmed in the Anglican church. She felt it was a huge step but couldn't imagine turning back, even though it brought new responsibilities.