400 Memorabilia Catalogue

The Dulwich College Quatercentenary Series The Quatercentenary Series comprises four books which commemorate and look to enhance and extend the College’s literary heritage. The first to be published was Jan Piggott’s Wodehouse’s School Days and the second was Infinite Riches , Ian Brinton’s survey of Dulwich College Poets from the 1950s to the present day. This year sees the publication of Patrick Humphries’ A Cradle of Writers and a collection of School Stories by OA and Alleynian writers. Wodehouse’s School Days

Dulwich College: a Cradle of Writers. Patrick Humphries (OA 63-69) explores the writings of five novelists who were educated at Dulwich in the first half of the 20th century. Three - AEW Mason, PG Wodehouse and Raymond Chandler - much enjoyed their time at Dulwich, while the other two, CS Forester and Dennis Wheatley, made much of their antipathy towards the school. Humphries looks at the draw Hollywood had for these writers, and at the success they found there. He also explores his background as an OA to draw his own conclusions as to the importance of the College to these OA writers. An Afterword gives a brief glimpse of the life and work of the most successful OA novelists of the last 50 years: Michael Ondaatje, Graham Swift, Tom Rob Smith and Tom McCarthy. In so doing it lays the ground for second volume of A Cradle of Writers and prepares the way for those looking for ways in which to celebrate the literary heritage of the College upon Dulwich’s 425th or 450th anniversary. £20 Dulwich College: School Stories. The golden age of the school story was at the turn of the last century, and in no small part this was down to Wodehouse, whose schooldays left an indelible mark on his writing. As part of the College’s 400th anniversary we have asked current Dulwich writers, including some pupils, to contribute a school short story of their own. The collection is introduced by Simon Brett OA OBE who has also contributed a story. Each story has been illustrated by art students from Dulwich. The cover image is by Al Scarfe OA. £20

PG Wodehouse was at Dulwich from 1894 to 1900. His school novels and tales included his first book, The Pothunters (1902), and the more ambitious Mike (1909). Seven of his early works are set in or around a

school very reminiscent of Dulwich College. They restore a richly comedic lost world and are full of wit and wisdom about schools and growing up, conceived out of love for his old school. The book includes copious material from the Dulwich College Archives and over twenty original illustrations from the school novels and tales. The author, Dr Jan Piggott, FSA, was formerly Head of English and Keeper of the Archives at Dulwich College. £20 Ian Brinton, formerly Head of English at the College and an authority on Modern and Contemporary British verse, offers an overview of the importance attached to the teaching and writing of poetry at Dulwich College since the Second World War. Two major poets of the second half of the last century, both published as Penguin Modern Poets, attended the College, while many more “Dulwich poets” were to become significant figures in the New British Poetry movement which flourished in journals and presses outside the mainstream. This monograph analyses the extent to which each of these poets had his initial interest in poetry stimulated during his time at Dulwich College. £20 Infinite Riches, Dulwich College poets 1950s to the present day

Both books will be published next May

Copies of all four books will be on sale in the Commissariat and at events throughout 2019. A box set of the four volumes can be purchased for £60.

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