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Hugh Kingsmill
22quotes
Hugh Kingsmill: A Life of Literature and Insight
Full Name and Common Aliases
Hugh Kingsmill was born on April 18, 1899, in London, England. He is often referred to as Hugo Richard Kingsmill.
Birth and Death Dates
April 18, 1899 – December 30, 1949
Nationality and Profession(s)
Kingsmill was a British poet, novelist, essayist, and biographer. His work spans multiple genres, including literary criticism and memoirs.
Early Life and Background
Hugh Kingsmill was born to Hugo Kingsmill, a writer and journalist, and his wife, Emily. His early life was marked by a love of reading and writing, encouraged by his father's influence. Kingsmill attended Winchester College before serving in World War I. The experiences he gained during the war would later shape his literary perspective.
Major Accomplishments
Kingsmill's work is notable for its insight into human nature, often tackling themes such as mortality, morality, and the search for meaning. His most acclaimed works include:
"The Living Past" (1931) - a collection of essays that explore the lives and writings of various authors.
"The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson" (1929-1930) - Kingsmill's work on this series is considered one of his most significant contributions to literary history.
Notable Works or Actions
Throughout his career, Kingsmill wrote numerous essays, poems, and novels. His writing often featured vivid descriptions of landscapes and the human condition. Some notable works include:
"The South Wind" (1936) - a collection of poetry that reflects on nature and life's fleeting moments.
"The Poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson" (1933) - another example of Kingsmill's work on literary criticism.
Impact and Legacy
Kingsmill's writing has had a lasting impact on the literary world. His essays, particularly those on biography and literary history, have influenced generations of writers and scholars. While his poetry is less well-known, it offers valuable insights into the human experience.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Hugh Kingsmill is remembered for his thought-provoking writing style and his ability to capture the essence of various subjects, from literature to history. His quotes on mortality, morality, and life's meaning continue to resonate with readers today.
Quotes by Hugh Kingsmill
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The reward of renunciation is some good greater than the thing renounced. To renounce with no vision of such a good, from fear or in automatic obedience to a formula, is to weaken the springs of life, and to diminish the soul’s resistance to this world.
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Hamlet is every man’s self-love with all its dreams realized. He wears all the crowns and carries every cross.
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There are dons who care for the intellect and the imagination, and there are priests who care for the spirit; but broadly speaking the function of universities and churches alike is to trim and tame enthusiasm, to suppress curiosity, and, in short, to whittle immortal souls into serviceable props of the established order.
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Most of the avoidable suffering in life springs from our attempts to escape the unavoidable suffering inherent in the fragmentary nature of our present existence. We expect immortal satisfactions from mortal conditions, and lasting and perfect happiness in the midst of universal change. To encourage this expectation, to persuade mankind that the ideal is realizable in this world, after a few preliminary changes in external conditions, is the distinguishing mark of all charlatans, whether in thought or action.
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Behind the big names of twentieth-century literature there stands a shadow cabinet of writers waiting to take over once the Wind of Change has blown. My own vote goes to Hugh Kingsmill as leader of this opposition.
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It is difficult to love mankind unless one has a reasonable private income, and when one has a reasonable private income one has better things to do than loving mankind.
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