Percy Edward Pinkerton
Percy Edward Pinkerton (19 June 1855 – 31 August 1946) was an English translator and poet. His translations included two novels by Émile Zola and a Puccini libretto.
Biography
Percy Edward Pinkerton was born on 19 June 1855, at Manor Road, Stamford Hill, Stoke Newington, London, Middlesex.[1] He was the third child of George Pinkerton (1823–1899) [2] and Mary Easum (1823–1868).[3] His siblings were Eustace (born 1852, Stoke Newington),[4] a member of the London Stock Exchange, Algernon Robert (born 1853, Stoke Newington – died 1937, Rokeby, Tasmania, Australia),[5] the architect Godfrey Pinkerton (born 1858 Godstone, Surrey – died 1937 Kensington), and Mary (born 1860, Godstone, Surrey), who married the solicitor Gilbert Mainwaring Robinson. Percy's paternal grandparents were Reverend Dr Robert Pinkerton D.D.[6] (born 1780 Foulshiels, Nr. Selkirk – died 7 April 1859 Reigate, Surrey), and Dorothea, née (possibly) Theakston [7](born c. 1786 Sarepta, Volgograd, Russia [British Subject] – died 1869, Kingston, Surrey).
Percy had further Russian connections, as all bar the last two[8] of his father's many siblings[9] were also born there.[10] His maternal grandparents were Robert Hayes Easum (born 1796 Stepney, Middlesex – died 1866 Worthing, Sussex) and Elizabeth née Edlin (born 1799 Uxbridge, Middlesex – died 1878 Edmonton, Middlesex).[11]
In 1909, Percy married Emily Harriet Woodgates at Kensington, London.[12] In 1911 they were living at Red Lodge, Happisburgh, Norfolk.[13] Emily Woodgates was born at Putely, Herefordshire December Quarter 1868, the daughter of the rector, James Richard Woodgates (born 1829 Honiton, Devon – died 1886 Thingoe, Suffolk) and Elizabeth, née Moor (born c. 1845 Great Bealings, Suffolk) daughter of Canon E. J. Moor.
Emily died at St Michael's Hospital, Hayle, Cornwall on the 27 November 1938 and was buried at Porthleven Cemetery on November 30.[14] Percy died on 31 August 1946, aged 91, at Ealing House, Porthleven, Cornwall.[15] and was buried at Porthleven Cemetery alongside Emily. They had no issue.
Writing
Pinkerton published some volumes of his own poetry: Galeazzo, a Venetian Episode: with other Poems (Venice and London, 1886), which was praised by John Addington Symonds;[16] Adriatica (1894), At Hazebro' (1909) and Nerina, a lyrical drama in three acts (Cambridge, 1927). He also wrote for the Magazine of Art,[17] and in 1889 edited Christopher Marlowe's plays. However most of his literary work consisted of English translations of European songs and literature. He was a member of the late-Victorian Lutetian Society, a group dedicated to unexpurgated translations of the works of Émile Zola which also included Ernest Dowson, Havelock Ellis, Arthur Symons, Victor Plarr and Alexander Teixeira de Mattos.[18] He translated other works from German, Italian, French, and Russian.
Translations
From German
- William Müller, Field-Marshal Count Moltke, 1800-1878, 1879
- Heinrich Düntzer, The Life of Schiller, 1883
From Italian
- Matteo Bandello, Novellieri Italiani. Twelve stories selected and done into English with a memoir of the author, 1892
From French
- Memoirs of Constant, the Emperor Napoleon's head valet, 1896
- Émile Zola, Restless House, 1924
- Émile Zola, "Pot Bouille" 1894-95 (Lutetian House- London)
Russian books
- Mikhail Artsybashev, Sanine, 1914
- Mikhail Artsybashev, The millionaire, 1915
Operas and cantatas
- Puccini, La Bohème, 1896. Performed for radio in 1930[19]
- Puccini, The witch-dancers, performed at Manchester in 1897[20]
- Niccola Spinelli, A Basso Porto, performed at Brighton in 1900[21]
- Franz Schubert, Songs, with pianoforte accompaniment
- Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, The New Life, 1902
- Johann Sebastian Bach, Phoebus and Pan
- Hector Berlioz, Le Temple universel
- Francis Poulenc
Lyrics
- Pansies, to Salut d'Amour by Edward Elgar
References
- ↑ Baptism record 17 August 1855 at St Mary, Stoke Newington.
- ↑ (born 1823, Russia [British Subject] – died 1899, Kingston, Surrey)
- ↑ (born 1823, Stepney – died 1868, St Pancras),
- ↑ Baptism record 22 June 1852 at St Mary, Stoke Newington.
- ↑ Baptism record 7 July 1853 at St Mary, Stoke Newington.
- ↑ Hi father's occupation given on the marriage entry for son of George and Mary Easum, 23 April 1851, St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney.
- ↑ TBD – According to IGI records there were several marriages between the Russian-resident Pinkerton and Theakston families.
- ↑ Millicent (1825–1900) and Robert (1827–1845) were born at Barrett's Grove, Stoke Newington and baptised at Fetter Lane (Moravian), London – cite England and Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567–1970
- ↑ They had nine known issue – cite IGI, baptism, marriage records, and The Gentleman’s Magazine Vol. XV, 1841, Obituary, p. 110; there are two other possible additions.
- ↑ Sophia Pinkerton (Percy's aunt) married Samuel Gurney Fry the penultimate child of Elizabeth Fry, the Quaker prison reformer and philanthropist: IGI Record shows marriage in 1838 and further proved by 1851/61 census records.
- ↑ Specifically 1861 Census Records for the Easum and Pinkerton families, BMD Entries & several IGI Records
- ↑ Free BMD index, September Quarter 1909 1a 408 and entry of marriage 23 September 1909 St James Norlands Parish Church, Kensington.
- ↑ 1911 census: Percy's age has been incorrectly stated as 45 (he was 55) and Emily's birthplace is given as Putely, Middlesex, which is probably a misreading of Putney.
- ↑ Burial Records Kerrier District Council, Cornwall.
- ↑ The Times, 5 September 1946.
- ↑ "It has individuality: the mark of a true poet, of a finely-gifted nature." See Kirk, A supplement to Allibone's critical dictionary, 1891
- ↑ 'Cecil van Haanen', Magazine of Art 10 (1887), pp. 1-6; 'Ludwig Passini: A Painter of Modern Life', Magazine of Art 10 (1887), pp. 127-32
- ↑ Denise Merkle, The Lutetian Society, TTR: traduction, terminologie, rédaction 16:2 (2003)
- ↑ The Times, 29 January 1930
- ↑ The Times, 1 April 1955
- ↑ The Times, 15 November 1900
External links
- Works by Percy Edward Pinkerton at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Percy Edward Pinkerton at Internet Archive
- Sanine at Project Gutenberg