A. C. Benson Biography

Childhood & Early Life

Arthur Christopher Benson was born to Edward White Benson and Mary Sidgwick, at Wellington College in Berkshire. He had five other siblings, two of whom died at a young age. His father was the headmaster of Wellington College at the time of his birth, and later became the Archbishop of Canterbury. He lived at Lincoln and Truro from the age of 10 to the age of 21, so his early years were influenced heavily by Christianity. He was an illustrious academic, and studied at Eton College in 1874, thanks to a scholarship he had received from Temple Grove School in East Sheen. He later went to King’s College at Cambridge in 1881. However, his life was scarred by dreadful spells of depression right from a young age.

Career

After taking a first in the Classical Tripos at Cambridge in 1884, A. C. Benson came back to Eton as a teacher in 1885. He was a biographer, essayist, author and poet, who completed the two-decker biography of his father, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the year 1899. He continued with his stint as a schoolmaster till 1903, after which he left Eton. He, along with Viscount Esher, edited Queen Victoria’s correspondences, which was published in 1907. Invited by his old friend and the-then Master, S. A. Donaldson, Benson became the fellow of Magdalene College at Cambridge in 1904. He was elected as the president of Magdalene College in 1912 and then went on to become ‘Master of Magdalene’ in 1915. He held on to this post till his death, and brought about immense changes to the college which took wings under his able leadership. His prolific writing skills were only overpowered by his wonderful leadership skills. When he became the Master of Magdalene College in 1915, it was not in its best shape. The author took it upon himself to give form to a ‘New Magdalene’. Well-known for his lively ways of teaching, he encouraged others to pursue subjects like archaeology, music and science, in addition to history and English. He was very famous with the young undergraduates as a friendly and understanding teacher.

Major Works

This gifted poet’s poems and essays like “The Upton Letters” and “From a College Window” stand witness to his creative writing skills and were well-appreciated in his times. He had the amazing habit of penning down elaborate diary entries right from 1897 till his death in 1925. It is interesting to note that his diary ran into about 180 notebooks. A part of these diaries, which give an insight into the life and times of Benson, have been published. The poet is still remembered for writing the renowned patriotic song ‘Land of Hope and Glory’, composed by Elgar as King Edward VII’s coronation ode. It was performed on every closing night of the London Proms at the Royal Albert Hall till 2001.

Personal Life & Legacy

This gifted writer never married and remained single all his life. The Benson Medal was instituted in 1916 to be awarded by the Royal Society of Literature in the United Kingdom by the author himself, who was also a Fellow of the Society. It is awarded to those writers who come up with commendable works in poetry, history, fiction and “belles-lettres”, even if their works are in other languages. The poet-biographer died of heart attack in Magdalene College, and is buried at Cambridge.

Trivia

This author-poet was the brother of famous Egyptologist, Margaret Benson. Giving vent to his impressive flair for writing, this biographer-essayist wrote about four million words in his massive diaries. It could be said that his diaries are one of the longest ever.