Edward Storer

Edward Augustine Storer(1880–1944) was an English writer, translator, and poet.

Life and career

Edward A. Storer was born in Alnwick on 25 July 1880 to Frances Anne Egan and James John Robson Storer, he died in Weybridge (London) on 11 February 1944. In 1907 he was on the Roll of theLaw Society of England and Wales(London) qualified as a solicitor. However, he practised only for two years because he soon realized that poetry was his main interest.

He was one of the first promoters and theorists ofImagismalong withT. E. HulmeandF. S. Flint,but his contrasting relation withEzra Poundcontributed to make him soon forgotten. His poetry was based on the value of the image to which language had to be adapted in conciseness and vividness through the use of simple and universally comprehensible symbols.

Although he was eager to renewEnglish poetryin technique and subjects, he did not deny the value of tradition andclassicism:modernandRomanticsensitiveness were both present in his work. His conception of poetry was expressed in a specific Essay published in Mirrors of Illusion: poetry is essentially "a nostalgia for the infinité". LikeH.D.andRichard Aldington,he looked at theancient Greek poetryandmythologywith admiration and always maintained a classical character along with modernity in his poetry: epigrammatic poetry was a perfect synthesis of the two features. In this period he translated many Greek poems. When he was in London he collaborated as a reviewer, critic and poet to many reviews and magazines: "The New Age","The British Review "," Poetry and Drama ","The Egoist","The English Review","Broom "and others.

In 1908 Storer publishedInclinations:Poems 1909its content, described by F. S. Flint as in the 'Imagist' manner.Later in the Spring of 1909, Storer was a founder member of a group, (an unnamedSohodining and talking society)from which theImagistgenre was derived.According to Flint, "Storer leading it chiefly, of what we called the Image. We were very much influenced by modern Frenchsymbolistpoetry ".In that same year, 1909, Storer wrote an essay on Imagism, appended to his bookMirrors of Illusion,in which he said "there is no absolute virtue iniambic pentameteras such...however well they may be done. There is no immediate virtue inrhythmeven. These things are merely a means to an end ".F. S. Flint, in a review ofMirrors of IllusioninNew Age Review IV(A. R. Orage's magazine of thatEdwardian era) said "with Storer the soul of poetry is... verse cut up and phrased according to the flow of the emotion and exercise of the sixth sense... we have a poet who has fought his way out of convention, and formed for himself a poetique".

Later, from 1914 onward, Storer was one of the principal contributors to The Egoist (An Individualist Review) with short articles on modern poetry, painting, sculpture, translations etc. (which at the time) was considered as propaganda for imagism or at least advertising for the imagists.In 1916 he wrote a noteworthy article on theFree verseform noting "every man's free verse is different".In 1916 Storer moved to Italy and from 1917 to 1941 lived in Rome. Here he founded and edited "Atys" – "Foglio d'Arte e di Letteratura Internazionale/Occasional Broadsheet of Art and Literature" from 1918 to 1921. During this period he was in close contact with Italian painters and poets who belonged to the secondFuturism:he created a particular movement not well defined and not officially recognized, but with specific features. It included someDadaistaspects and its main goal was substantially to enhance the value of spiritualism in a laic way. In particular, Storer was in touch with Francesco Meriano andEnrico Prampolini,who illustrated "Atys". During his staying in Italy he translatedLuigi Pirandello's plays (Six Characters in Search of an Author and Henry IV, translations based on the first editions of Pirandello's plays) and also devoted to the Italian dramatist some critical essays. (He personally met him). He translated other Italian writers and poets, thus performing a true role of cultural mediator. In Storer's renewal programme, translation was important and necessary to diffuse new authors as models for English writers. He studied English contemporary theatre: he was very interested and began writing dramas himself.

From 1929 he became primarily a journalist: poetry was only a beautiful and pleasant memory. He tried to publish again in 1938 a modernistic poetry collection, Masquerades: designs for fancy dress, but the project was never realized. He was only successful in having The Young Bride and Rose of Persia included in Fifty years of modern verse. An anthology, edited byJohn Gawsworth,London, Martin & Secker, 1938. He worked for news agencies (Reuter's,American United Press, British United Press and Exchange Tele. & Co.,International News Service) and as an Italian correspondent for "The Observer","Washington Times"and other newspapers. When he returned to London after the outbreak of theSecond World War,he collaborated with theBBCfor transmissions in Italian language until his death.

Poetry

• Inclinations.Poems. Sisley, London [1907]
• Mirrors of Illusion. With an essay,Sisley, London [1908]
• The Ballad of the Mad Bird and Other PoemsHampstead Priory Press, London 1909
• NarcissusThe Priority Press, Hampstead 1913
• Form in Free VerseNew Republic Mar 1916
• Terra Italica. Poems written in Italy,wood-cuts by M. Nutting, "The Egoist" Press, London 1920
• I've quite forgotten Lucy and Other PoemsDan Rider, London [1932]

Criticism and biography

• Leigh Hunt,F. G. Browne & Co. Chicago, Herbert & Daniel, London [1911]
• Peter the Cruel. The life of the notorious Don Pedro of Castile, together with an account of his relations with the famous Maria Padilla, with a frontispiece in photogravure and sixteen other illustrations,John Lane London - The Bodley Head New York, 1911
• William Cowper,F. G. Browne & Co. Chicago - Herbert & Daniel, London [1912]
• Dramatists of to-day.The series includes: I. H. Granville Barker, in "The British Review", vol. IV, no. 2, November 1913, pp. 248–255, II. John Galsworthy, ibidem, pp. 255–262; III. John Masefield, ibidem, vol. IV, no. 3, December 1913, pp. 408–415, IV. Stanley Houghton, ibidem, pp. 415–421; V. John M. Synge, ibidem, vol. V, no. 1, January 1914, pp. 73–80, VI. St. John Hankin, ibidem, pp. 80–87; VII. Bernard Shaw, ibidem, vol. V, no. 2, February 1914, pp. 251–264; VIII. William B. Yeats, ibidem, vol. V, no. 3, March 1914, pp. 415–422, XI. Lady Gregory, ibidem, pp. 422–429

Translations from Greek

• Poems & Fragments of Sappho,in Poets' Translation Series, "The Egoist", no. 10, vol. II, October 1915, pp. 153–155
• Poems & Fragments of Sappho,"The Egoist" Press, London, [first set], no. 2, 1915
• The Poems of Sappho,The Clerk's Private Press, Cleveland 1917
• The Poems of Anyte of Tegea (translated by R. Aldington) and Poems & Fragments of Sappho,"The Egoist" Press, London, [second set], no. 2, 1919
• The Windflowers of Asklepiades and Poems of Poseidippos,"The Egoist" Press, London 1920

Pirandello's translations

• L. PIRANDELLO, Three Plays,E. P. Dutton & Co., New York [1922]
• L. PIRANDELLO, Three Plays - Six characters in search of an author, Henry IV, translated by E. Storer, Right you are (if you think so), translated by A. Livingston,Dent, London 1923

Critical essays on Pirandello's work

• The "Grotesques" of Pirandello,in "Forum", New York, October 1921, pp. 271–281
• Luigi Pirandello: dramatist,in "The Fortnightly Review", August 1924, pp. 227–241
• Pirandello: man and artist,in "Bookman", London, April 1926, pp. 8–11

Other Italian Translations

• N. MOSCARDELLI, Poems («Poem», «Whispered», «Love», «Love», «Spring», «Poem», «Summer», «At Evening», «The poor man»),in "Atys", no. 2, December 1918, p. 3
• N. MOSCARDELLI, Images («Rome», «Interior», «Nocturne», «Dawn»),in "Atys", no. 7, December 1919, p. 3
• C. GOVONI, Jealousy,in "Atys", no. 9, May 1920, p. 2
• C. GOVONI, The Woodpecker,in "Broom", vol. III, no. 1, August 1922, p. 77
• E. PRAMPOLINI, The Aesthetic of the Machine and Mechanical Introspection in Art,in "Broom", vol. III, no. 3, October 1922, pp. 235–237
• G. GIOLITTI, Memoirs of My Life,(with an introduction by O. Malagodi), Chapman and Dodd Ltd., London and Sydney, 1923
• ANONIMOUS, Il Novellino,(translated and introduced by E. Storer), London, G. Routledge & Sons Ltd. - New York, E. P. Dutton & Co., [1925]
• P. BRACCIOLINI, The Facetiae of Poggio and Other Medieval Story-tellers,(translated by E. Storer, with an introduction and notes), G. Routledge & Sons Ltd. London, E. P. Dutton & Co., New York, 1928:online
• P. ZAPPA, Unclean! Unclean!,(with an introduction by Sir L. Rogers K.C.S.I.), Lovat Dickson Ltd., London,[1933]

Storer's dramas

• Danae,Athene Press, Rome, [1917]
• Helen,in "Poetry and Drama", vol. I, no. 6, June 1914, pp. 153–165

References

• VALERIA PETROCCHI, Edward A. Storer, il poeta dimenticato – Dalla 'School of Images' ad "Atys",Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane, Napoli, 2000
• VALERIA PETROCCHI, Immagini allo specchio: traduzioni e traduttori agli inizî del Novecento,Guerra edizioni, Perugia, 2002

External links

• Works by Edward StoreratProject Gutenberg
• Works by or about Edward Storerat theInternet Archive
• Works by Edward StoreratLibriVox(public domain audiobooks)