Henry Treece

Henry Treece
Henry Treece at his desk
Born	22 December 1911 Wednesbury,Staffordshire,England
Died	10 June 1966(1966-06-10)(aged 54) United Kingdom
Occupation	Author
Nationality	British
Genre	Children'shistorical fiction,poetry
Years active	1940–1966
Notable works	Viking Trilogy The Children's Crusade The Golden Strangers

Henry Treece(22 December 1911 – 10 June 1966) was a Britishpoetand writer who also worked as a teacher and editor. He wrote a range of works but is mostly remembered as a writer of children'shistorical novels.

Life and work

Treece was born inWednesbury,Staffordshire,and educated at the town'sgrammar school.After graduating from theUniversity of Birminghamin 1933, he went into teaching with his first placement being atTynemouth School.In 1939 he married Mary Woodman and settled inLincolnshireas a teacher atBarton-upon-HumberGrammar School.Their son, Richard Treece, became a musician withHelp Yourselfand other rock bands.

He published five volumes of poetry:38 Poems(London: Fortune Press, 1940), then by Faber & Faber;Invitation and Warning1942;The Black Seasons1945;The Haunted Garden1947; andThe Exiles1952. He appeared in the 1949The New British Poets: an anthologyedited byKenneth Rexroth;but from 1952 withThe Dark Islandhe devoted himself to fiction. His best known are his juvenile historical novels, particularly those set in theViking Age,although he also wrote some adult historical novels. Many of his novels are set in transitional periods in history, where more primitive societies are forced to face modernisation, e.g. the end of the Viking period, or the Roman conquest of Britain. His playCarnival King(Faber & Faber) was produced atNottingham Playhousein 1953. He also worked as a radio broadcaster.

InWorld War IIhe served as an intelligence officer in theRAFand helpedJohn PudneyeditAir Force Poetry.

Other poetry anthologies he was involved with includeThe New Apocalypse(1939) withJ. F. Hendrygiving its name to theNew Apocalypticsmovement; two further anthologies with Hendry followed. He wrote a critical study ofDylan Thomas,calledDylan Thomas – Dog among the fairies,published by Lindsay Drummond, London, in 1949. He and Thomas became estranged over Thomas's refusal to sign up as a New Apocalyptic.

He also wroteConquerorsin 1932, as a way to reflect on the horrors of war.

He edited issues of the magazinesTransformation,andA New Romantic Anthology(1949) withStefan Schimanski,issues ofKingdom Come: The Magazine of War-Time Oxfordwith Schimanski andAlan Rook,as well asWar-Time Harvest.How I See Apocalypse(London, Lindsay Drummond, 1946) was a retrospective statement. Treece died from a heart attack in 1966.

Treece's residency in Barton-upon-Humber is recorded by a blue plaque on East Acridge House, erected by the Civic Society in 2010.

Works

• 38 Poems(Fortune Press, 1940)
• The White Horseman: Prose and Verse of the New Apocalypse,edited byJ. F. Hendryand Henry Treece (Routledge, 1941)
• Invitation and Warning(Faber, 1942) poetry
• Transformation,edited by Stefan Schimanski and Henry Treece (Lindsay Drummond, 1943)
• Wartime Harvest: an anthology of prose and verse,edited by Stefan Schimanski and Henry Treece (John Bale and Staples, 1943)
• Short piece inWriting Today,edited by Denys Val Baker and Peter Ratazzi (Staples, 1943)
• Air Force Poetry,edited byJohn Pudneyand Henry Treece (John Lane, 1944)
• Herbert Read: an introduction to his work by various hands,edited by Henry Treece (Faber, 1944)
• A Map of Hearts,edited by Stefan Schimanski and Henry Treece (Lindsay Drummond, 1944)
• Transformation 2,edited by Stefan Schimanski and Henry Treece (Lindsay Drummond, 1944)
• The Black Seasons(Faber, 1945) poetry
• The Crown and the Sickle: An Anthologyedited byJ. F. Hendryand Henry Treece (Staples, 1945)
• Transformation 3,edited by Stefan Schimanski and Henry Treece (Lindsay Drummond, 1945)
• How I See Apocalypse(Lindsay Drummond, 1946)
• I Cannot go Hunting Tomorrow(The Grey Walls Press, 1946) short stories
• Transformation 4,edited by Stefan Schimanski and Henry Treece (Lindsay Drummond, 1946)
• The Haunted Garden(Faber, 1947) poetry
• Leaves in the Storm: a book of diaries,edited with a running commentary by Stefan Schimanski and Henry Treece (Lindsay Drummond, 1947)
• Selected Poems ofAlgernon Charles Swinburne,edited with an introduction by Henry Treece (The Grey Walls Press, 1948)
• Dylan Thomas: Dog among the fairies(Ernest Benn, 1949) criticism
• A New Romantic Anthology,edited by Stefan Schimanski and Henry Treece (The Grey Walls Press, 1949)
• The Exiles(Faber, 1952) poetry
• The Dark Island(Gollancz, 1952) novel
• The Rebels(Gollancz, 1953) novel
• Desperate Journey(Faber, 1954) for children
• Legions of the Eagle(The Bodley Head, 1954) historical novel for young people, set in the Roman conquest of Britain
• The Eagles Have Flown(The Bodley Head, 1954) historical novel for young people
• Ask for King Billy(Faber, 1955) for children
• Carnival King: A play in Three Acts(Faber, 1955) verse play
• Viking's Dawn(The Bodley Head, 1955) historical novel for young people, first in theViking Trilogy
• Hounds of the King(The Bodley Head, 1955) historical novel for young people
• The Golden Strangers(The Bodley Head, 1956), set in prehistoric Britain
• The Great Captains(The Bodley Head, 1956) novel
• Hunter Hunted(Faber, 1957) for children
• Men of the Hills(The Bodley Head, 1957) historical novel for young people
• The Road to Miklagard(The Bodley Head, 1957) historical novel for young people, second in theViking Trilogy
• The Children's Crusade(The Bodley Head, 1958) historical novel for young people
• Don't Expect Any Mercy(Faber, 1958) for children
• The Return of Robinson Crusoe(Hulton Press - An Eagle Novel, 1958) historical novel for young people
• Red Queen, White Queen(The Bodley Head, 1958) novel
• Ride into Danger(Criterion Books, USA, 1959) novel
• The Master of Badger's Hall(Random House, USA, 1959)
• The Bombard(The Bodley Head, 1959) historical novel for young people
• Castles and Kings(Batsford, 1959)
• The True Books about Castles(Frederick Muller, 1959)
• Wickham and the Armada(Hulton Press - An Eagle Novel, 1959) historical novel for young people
• A Fighting Man(The Bodley Head, 1960) novel
• Viking's Sunset(The Bodley Head, 1960) historical novel for young people, third in theViking Trilogy
• Red Settlement(The Bodley Head - Earlham Library, 1960) historical novel for young people
• The Golden One(The Bodley Head, 1961) historical novel for young people
• The Jet Beads(Brockhampton Press, 1961) novel
• Jason(The Bodley Head, 1961) novel
• The Crusades(The Bodley Head, 1962)
• Man with a Sword(The Bodley Head, 1962) historical novel for young people, aboutHereward the Wake
• War Dog(Brockhampton Press, 1962) historical novel for young people
• Fighting Men: how men have fought through the ages(withRonald Ewart Oakeshott) (Brockhampton Press, 1963)
• Horned Helmet(Brockhampton Press, 1963) historical novel for young people, about theJomsvikings
• Electra(The Bodley Head, 1963) novel
• The Crusades(Blackie - Know About Series, 1963) history
• The Burning of Njal(The Bodley Head, 1964) historical novel for young people
• The Last of the Vikings(Brockhampton Press, 1964) historical novel for young people, aboutHarald Hardrada
• Oedipus(The Bodley Head, 1964) novel
• The Bronze Sword(Hamish Hamilton - Antelope Books, 1965) historical novel for young people
• Splintered Sword(Brockhampton Press, 1965) historical novel for young people
• Killer in Dark Glasses(Faber, 1965) novel
• Two Radio Plays(accompanying a new edition ofHounds of the King- Longmans, 1965)
• Bang You're Dead!(Faber, 1966) novel
• The Queen's Brooch(Hamish Hamilton, 1966) historical novel for young people, set duringBoudicca's rebellion
• The Green Man(The Bodley Head, 1966)
• Swords from the North(Faber, 1966) historical novel for young people
• The Windswept City(Hamish Hamilton - Reindeer Books, 1967) historical novel for young people, set in theTrojan War
• Vinland the Good(The Bodley Head, 1967) historical novel for young people
• The Dream Time(Brockhampton Press, 1967) historical novel for young people
• The Centurion(Meredith Press, 1967) an 'augmented' version ofThe Bronze Sword(1965)

Adult historical fiction

• Celtic Tetralogy (ordered by chronological setting)
  • 1)The Golden Strangers(1956); (titledThe Invadersin the U.S.), about the arrival of the Celts in Britain
  • 2)The Dark Island(1952); (titledThe Savage Warriorsin the U.S.), about the defeat ofCaratacusby the Romans after their invasion of Britain
  • 3)Red Queen, White Queen(1958); (titledThe Pagan Queenin the U.S.), aboutBoudicaand the rebellion she led against Rome, as told through the eyes of a young Roman Imperial agent
  • 4)The Great Captains(1956), a realistic story of King Arthur and the struggle of Celtic Britain to survive after the departure of the Romans
• The Rebels(1953). Set during the last decade of Victoria's reign, it follows the fluctuating fortunes of the Fisher family, ironmasters who live in the Black Country town of Darlaston. Their ancestors were strong, tough and unpretentious, but now the family aspires to comfortable Victorian gentility.
• Trilogy set in Mycenaean Greece, based on legendary characters:
  • Jason(1961)
  • Electra(also speltElektrafor some editions) – US titleThe Amber Princess(1963)
  • Oedipus– US titleThe Eagle King(1964)
• The Green Man(1966) A reworking ofAmleth's Vengeancefrom theGesta Danorumof Saxo Grammaticus (the basis for Shakespeare's tragedy,Hamlet). Set in 6th century Jutland (Denmark), Duke Arthur's Britain and Caledonia (Scotland). Contains fantasy elements.

Journal

• New Apocalypticsa periodical (edited withJ. F. Hendry)

Further reading and critical works

• Pauline Clarke,Henry Treece: Lament for a Maker,in TLS 5: Essays and Reviews fromThe Times Literary Supplement1966. (London: Times Publishing 1966), pp. 7–104. Reprinted inOnly Connect: Readings on children's literature,ed.Sheila Egoff et al. Toronto New York: Oxford University Press (Canadian Branch), 1969, pp. 256–264.
• Margery Fisher,Henry Treecein Three Bodley Head Monographs.London: Bodley Head, 1969, pp. 7–104.
• James Gifford,Personal Modernisms,Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 2014.
• Arthur Edward Salmon,Poets of the Apocalypse,Twayne's English Authors Series, 360. Boston:Twayne, 1983.
• Caroline C. Hunt,Henry Treece,inBritish Children's Writers, 1914-1960.Ed. Donald R. Hettinga & Gart D Schmidt. Detroit: Gale Research, 1996.Dictionary of Literary Biography,Vol. 160. (Web: GaleLiterature Resource Center).
• Catie Cary,Glorious Bloody Days: An appreciation of Henry Treece's life and historical fiction for adults.Special feature on Henry Treece published inSolander(Journal of theHistorical Novel Society), 14 November 2003

External links

• Works by Henry TreeceatFaded Page(Canada)
• Henry TreeceatLibrary of Congress,with 79 library catalogue records
• Henry Treeceat theInternet Speculative Fiction Database
• Savoy People- Henry TreeceA short biography which includes links to further information about Treece'sCeltic Tetralogyand toNotes on Perception and Vision(1966),collected comments by Treece on his philosophy of writing
• Henry Treece and the New Apocalypse: A Study of English Neo-Romanticismby Jo-Ann Baggerly. PhD thesis submitted to the Texas Tech University (1973)
• Author Appreciation: Henry Treece.Article by Deanne Sole, posted atPop Matters,17 August 2007.
• Henry Treece, The First Crusade(1962)