Theodore Martin | |
|---|---|
_-_Sir_Theodore_Martin_(1816%25E2%2580%25931909)%2c_Lawyer_and_Writer_-_PG_955_-_National_Galleries_of_Scotland.jpg) Sir Theodore Martin, 1816 - 1909. Lawyer and writer, byReginald Cholmondeley | |
| Born | (1816-09-16)16 September 1816 |
| Died | 18 August 1909(1909-08-18) (aged 92) |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Spouse | |
Sir Theodore MartinKCB KCVO (16 September 1816 – 18 August 1909) was a Scottish poet, biographer, and translator.
Martin was born inEdinburgh, the only son of Mary, the daughter of James Reid, a shipowner fromFraserburgh and James Martin, a solicitor. He was educated at theRoyal High School and attended theUniversity of Edinburgh from 1830-1833.[1] He practised as a solicitor in Edinburgh 1840–45, after which he went to London and became head of the firm of Martin and Leslie,parliamentary agents.
His first contribution to literature was the humorousBon Gaultier Ballads, written along withW.E. Aytoun, which remained popular for a long time; originally contributed to a magazine, they appeared in book form in 1845.
Martin's translations includeDante'sVita Nuova,Oehlenschläger'sCorreggio andAladdin,Heinrich Heine'sPoems and Ballads,Friedrich Schiller'sWilhelm Tell, and Hertz'sKing René's Daughter.[2] He also published a complete translation ofHorace with aLife, and one ofCatullus.
He is probably best known for hisLife of the Prince Consort (1874–80), the writing of which was entrusted to him byQueen Victoria, a work which won him her lifelong friendship. He also wroteLives of Professor Aytoun and Lord Lyndhurst.
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In 1851 he marriedHelena Faucit, a well-known actress, and author of studies onShakespeare's Female Characters, whoseLife he published in 1901. The couple lived for some time at Bryntysilio (The Hill of St. Tyssilio) which he bought in 1861, nearLlangollen, where in 1889 they were visited by the queen during her progress in Wales.
Martin kept up his intellectual activity into old age, published in 1905 a translation of Leopardi's poems, andMonographs (1906). He was Lord Rector of theUniversity of St Andrews in 1881, received an LLD from theUniversity of Edinburgh in 1875, and Knight Commander of theOrder of the Bath in 1880.
He died in 1909 and is buried inBrompton Cemetery, London.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Cousin, John William (1910). "Martin, Sir Theodore".A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London: J. M. Dent & Sons – viaWikisource.
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| Preceded by | Rector of the University of St Andrews 1880 - 1883 | Succeeded by |
