A. E. Dyson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Anthony Edward Dyson (1928-11-28)28 November 1928 Paddington,London, England |
| Died | 30 July 2002(2002-07-30) (aged 73) London, England |
| Other names | Tony Dyson |
| Education | Pembroke College, Cambridge |
| Occupations | Literary critic, academic and campaigner |
| Partner | Clifford Tucker (1912–1993) |
Anthony Edward Dyson, akaTony Dyson (28 November 1928 – 30 July 2002) was a British literary critic, university lecturer, educational activist andgay rights campaigner.
Educated atPembroke College, Cambridge, Dyson began his academic career in 1955, when he was appointed Assistant Lecturer in English Literature at theUniversity of North Wales, Bangor. From there, he went to theUniversity of East Anglia, where he was later appointed Reader. He took early retirement in the 1980s.[1]
Dyson single-handedly took the initiative in forming theHomosexual Law Reform Society (HLRS) in May 1958. He had sent hundreds of letters toMembers of Parliament and celebrities asking for their support, successfully bringing together an impressive collection of distinguished names, includingNoel Annan,Lord Attlee,Alfred Ayer,Isaiah Berlin,Trevor Huddleston,Julian Huxley,C. Day-Lewis,J. B. Priestley,Bertrand Russell,Donald Soper,A. J. P. Taylor,Angus Wilson andBarbara Wootton. The campaign began with a letter, signed by all these figures, published inThe Times on 7 March 1958, calling for the implementation of theWolfenden Committee's recommendations that the law in relation to male homosexual relations be liberalised.[2] Dyson had written on the University of North Wales headed paper making a bold statement of exactly who and where he was, which was a risky move.[3] "It is difficult to comprehend the danger of living as a homosexual before the law was reformed in 1967, with the ever-present threat of criminal proceeding or blackmail. Dyson's careful and courageous handling of the campaign during these years was instrumental in ensuring that it did not arouse animosity and become counter-productive."[4]
The same group of people simultaneously founded theAlbany Trust, the charitable arm of the HLRS, which became the pioneer national counselling agency for gay men and lesbians. Dyson was Vice-Chairman of the HLRS and a Trustee of the Albany Trust.[5]
During this time, he met Cliff Tucker (18 December 1912 – 21 May 1993), a senior executive atBP, aLabour Party councillor in inner London and amagistrate. They lived together for 35 years until Tucker's death in 1993.[6] Dyson followed Tucker's final wishes and bequeathed the proceeds of theirHampstead home to Tucker's alma mater, theUniversity of Wales, Lampeter. As a result, there is now ascholarship and lecture theatre bearing Tucker's name, and a Fellowship in Poetry named for Dyson.[7]
In 1959, Dyson, together withBrian Cox, founded the literary journalCritical Quarterly, described inNew Pelican Guide to English Literature as "probably the most influential English literary-critical journal in the academic field over the post-war decades." Together, Dyson and Cox wroteModern Poetry: Studies in Practical Criticism (1963), which became a standard text book for many years.
As a literary critic, Dyson published works onShakespeare,Dickens,Samuel Taylor Coleridge andSylvia Plath, among others.
In 1969, Dyson and Cox published the first of what became a series of fiveBlack Papers[8] criticising "progressive" educational methods and the Labour government's policy of replacinggrammar schools withcomprehensive schools. This and subsequent Black Papers attracted considerable support, especially on the right of the political spectrum. However, they failed to stop the comprehensive schools movement.[citation needed]
Dyson died in London in July 2002, after suffering fromleukaemia for several years.
The papers of Tony Dyson and of his partner, Cliff Tucker, are housed at theUniversity of Manchester John Rylands Library Special Collections. A further box of his papers is held atLahore School of Economics archives.[7]
