|
Myers Literary Guide:
|
The North-East
|
|
MARTIN ARMSTRONG (1882 - 1974) Armstrong was born at 2 Jesmond Gardens, Newcastle. The family was well-to-do and Armstrong recalled his comfortable childhood in the novel Victorian Peep-Show (1938). His first collection of poetry Exodus and Other Themes was published in 1912, and he subsequently associated with Georgian poets like Blunden and Walter de la Mare. Two more books of poetry had been published by 1921 and his Collected Poems appeared in 1931. In the '20s, Armstrong turned to short story-writing and novels, the first being The Goat and Compasses (1925). A popular success was Saint Christopher's Day (1928). Six more novels appeared in the '30s, together with three more collections of short stories. In 1944, Armstrong began writing a weekly column 'The Spoken Word' for The Listener. It ran for nearly thirteen years. He was also a frequent contributor to Children's Hour, where his novel for children Said the Cat to the Dog (1945) was immensely popular and was frequently repeated. As Kenneth Womack points out, Armstrong's novels belong to the Edwardian tradition of Bennett and Galsworthy and often feature carefully-realised portraits of figures from the society into which he was born. They reflect his respect for justice and tradition, his love of the countryside and desire for harmony between the sexes. Nevertheless he is not blind to the elements of snobbery, materialism and indifference in the milieu he describes.
|
|