List of Cornish writers explained

This is a list of writers in English and Cornish, who are associated with Cornwall and Cornish linguists (kw|Rol a skriforyon Kernewek). Not all of them are native Cornish people.

Some Cornish writers have reached a high level of prominence, e.g. William Golding, who won the Nobel Prize for literature (in 1983), D. M. Thomas who won the Cheltenham Prize for Literature and Arthur Quiller-Couch ("Q").

Some of the "incomers" have written extensively about Cornwall and the Cornish, e.g. Daphne du Maurier, who went as far as joining Mebyon Kernow.

Historians and scholars

See List of Cornish historians

Novelists

• Denys Val Baker, novelist and writer
• A. P. Bateman, thriller writer and bestselling author^[1]
• Wilfred Bennetto, writer of the first full-length novel in Cornish
• Janie Bolitho, crime writer^[2]
• W. J. Burley, Wycliffe series
• Jack Clemo, poet
• Myrna Combellack, novelist and scholar
• Michael J Darracott, writer, lived in Newlyn ^[3]
• Daphne du Maurier^[4]
• Martin Fido. crime writer
• Patrick Gale
• Robert Goddard
• William Golding, Nobel laureate^[5]
• Winston Graham, Poldark series^[6]
• Tim Heald^[7]
• Joseph Hocking, author and preacher
• Silas Hocking, author and preacher^[8]
• Ann Kelley
• Alan M. Kent, poet, novelist and scholar
• John le Carré^[9]
• Charles Lee, (1870–1956)^[10]
• Katharine Lee (Kitty Lee Jenner, 1854–1936)
• Herman Cyril McNeile, "Sapper", novelist
• Jessica Mann, crime writer^[11]
• Charlotte Mary Matheson, novelist
• Wyl Menmuir, novelist^[12]
• Gertrude Parsons, Roman Catholic novelist
• Mark Guy Pearse, author and preacher
• Susan Penhaligon
• Rosamunde Pilcher
• Arthur Quiller-Couch, aka "Q", novelist and scholar
• Alastair Reynolds, lived in Cornwall as child
• Jean Rhys, novelist, lived at Bude for a period
• Angie Sage, author and illustrator^[13]
• Howard Spring, lived in Falmouth
• Sharon Tregenza
• Derek Tangye
• Nigel Tangye
• D. M. Thomas
• E. V. Thompson
• Enys Tregarthen, writer and folklorist
• John Coulson Tregarthen, novelist and naturalist
• Craig Weatherhill, archaeologist, Cornish historian, writer
• Mary Wesley
• Colin Wilson
• Leo Walmsley, writer and novelist^[14]

Poets

Brother Anthony, poet and translator from Korean John Barber Wilfred Bennetto, poet and novelist writing in Cornish John Betjeman, Poet Laureate, English writer and scholar, frequent visitor to Cornwall and writer on culture Ronald Bottrall Arthur Caddick Charles Causley, poet from Launceston Helena Charles Jack Clemo, poet Jane Crewdson Caroline Fox, diarist William Golding W. S. Graham, Scottish poet Geoffrey Grigson, poet and prose writer Thomas Hardy, English novelist and poet, met his wife Emma Gifford, while he was working at St Juliot church, near Boscastle^[15] (some of his poems are about events in Cornwall) John Harris, miner and poet Richard Jenkin Ann Kelley Les Merton, varying styles, including dialect poetry; also a publisher Christopher Middleton Bernard Moore Peter Mundy, traveller from Penryn

Robert Morton Nance Mick Paynter, contemporary poet writing in Cornish William Henry Paynter Margaret Steuart Pollard Richard Polwhele David Prowse (Poet) AKA 'The People's Poet' and 'The Gardening Poet'^[16] Henry Quick Arthur Quiller-Couch Peter Redgrove A. L. Rowse, historian, poet and scholar Tim Saunders, contemporary poet writing in Cornish Penelope Shuttle Henry Sewell Stokes, poet D. M. Thomas Terence Tiller, poet and radio producer Lawrence Upton Robert Walling

Playwrights and dramatists

• Nick Darke, playwright^[17]
• Daphne du Maurier, novelist and playwright
• Samuel Foote, playwright and actor
• William Golding
• William Killigrew, playwright
• Charles Lee
• Donald Rawe
• D. M. Thomas

Children's writers

• Nick Carter^[18]
• Ann Kelley
• Jack Trelawny^[19]
• Sharon Tregenza^[20]

Linguists and writers in Cornish

Wilfred Bennetto, poet and novelist writing in Cornish^[21] John Boson, Nicholas Boson, and Thomas Boson, 18th-century writers in the Cornish language^[22] Richard Carew, translator and antiquary^[23] John Davey, of Zennor, last person with any traditional knowledge of Cornish, died 1891: he wrote a few verses in the language Richard Gendall^[24] Ken George^[25] Haldreyn (William Morris), poet Steve Harris, translator and writer^[26] ^[27] Julyan Holmes, scholar Fred W. P. Jago, linguist and physician Henry Jenner^[28] John of Cornwall, medieval grammarian

Robert Morton Nance^[29] Mick Paynter, contemporary poet writing in Cornish Tim Saunders, contemporary poet writing in Cornish William Scawen, soldier and linguist^[30] A. S. D. Smith, scholar Tony Snell, poet and linguist Humphrey Tonkin, Esperantist and professor of English John Tregear^[31] Jim Wearne Nicholas Williams, linguist, translator of the Bible into Cornish

Bards of the Gorseth Kernow

This is an honorary position, not all of the bards are Cornish or based in Cornwall. For purposes of brevity, those mentioned above are not repeated.

Malcolm Arnold Vanessa Beeman Michael Williams John Langdon Bonython Gilbert Hunter Doble Peter Berresford Ellis Charles Henderson Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin Loveday Jenkin John Kendall-Carpenter Peter Lanyon Ivan Rabey

Joan Rendell Goff Richards Richard Rutt Tim Saunders A. S. D. Smith Tony Snell Thomas Taylor Charles Thomas Richard Trant John Coulson Tregarthen Garry Tregidga Robert Walling Richard John Maddern-Williams

Further reading

• William Henry Kearley Wright, West-country Poets: their lives and works (1896)

External links

• Poetry Cornwall

Notes and References

1. Web site: A P Bateman author thrillers kindle bestseller novels mysteries spy. A P Bateman - Author.
2. Web site: Janie Bolitho . 21 March 2009 .
3. Web site: Proper Cornish Childhood .
4. Margaret Forster, 'Du Maurier, Dame Daphne (1907–1989)’, rev., Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 20 December 2008
5. Kevin McCarron, 'Golding, Sir William Gerald (1911–1993)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, May 2006 accessed 20 December 2008
6. Dennis Barker, 'Graham, Winston Mawdsley (1908?–2003)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online edn, Oxford University Press, January 2007 accessed 20 December 2008
7. Web site: Curriculum Vitae . Heald . Tim . 12 March 2008 . Tim Heald's website . 20 December 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080922070636/http://www.timheald.com/CV.htm . 22 September 2008 .
8. R. G. Burnett, 'Hocking, Silas Kitto (1850–1935)’, rev. Sayoni Basu, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2006 accessed 16 December 2008
9. Web site: John Le Carre. Podolsky. J. D.. Wright, John . 13 September 1993. People. 20 December 2008.
10. Web site: Charles Lee, author. Cornwall Calling. 16 December 2008.
11. Web site: Jessica Mann. 21 March 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20011104034749/http://www.jessicamann.net/. 4 November 2001. dead.
12. Web site: Stockport-born author is in the running to win the Man Booker Prize 2016 . Manchester Evening News . Helen . Johnson . 3 August 2016 . 20 October 2021 . 22 October 2021 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211022115227/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/stockport-born-author-running-win-11698023.
13. Web site: An Interview with Angie Sage. BookBrowse. 16 December 2008.
14. Shells and Bright Stones, Stead, Smith Settle 2001
15. Michael Millgate, 'Hardy, Thomas (1840–1928)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, May 2006 accessed 16 December 2008
16. News: Ordinary People. BBC.
17. Web site: Obituary: Nick Darke. Michell. Roger. 15 June 2005. The Observer. 16 December 2008.
18. Web site: Walter and Wilbur . 18 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140419021703/http://www.walterandwilbur.com/ . 19 April 2014 . dead .
19. Web site: Kernowland - Home . 12 July 2022 . 18 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190118082140/http://www.kernowland.com/ . dead .
20. Web site: Sharon Tregenza award winning children's author. Sharon Tregenza.
21. Web site: The Old Croydonians Association. www.theoldcroydonians.org.uk.
22. [Matthew Spriggs]
23. S. Mendyk, 'Carew, Richard (1555–1620)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 16 December 2008
24. Web site: How do you say 'bugger off' in Cornish?. Sale. Jonathan. 31 July 2005. The Observer. 16 December 2008.
25. Web site: Piw on ni? Who are we?. Kesva an Taves Kernewek and Cornish. 16 December 2008.
26. Web site: Karol Nadelik. Kowethas an Yeth Kernewek.
27. Web site: Briallen ha'n Alyon. Ors Sempel.
28. Peter W. Thomas, 'Jenner, Henry (1848–1934)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online edn, Oxford University Press, May 2005 accessed 16 December 2008
29. Brian Murdoch, 'Nance, Robert Morton (1873–1959)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 16 December 2008
30. [Matthew Spriggs]
31. Encyclopedia: The Tregear Homilies. Encyclopædia Britannica. 20 November 2009.