Gerald Eustace Howell Palmer (9 June 1904 – 7 February 1984) was a United Kingdom author, book translator, andConservative Party politician. Palmer's work in translating thePhilokalia, an Eastern Orthodox spiritual text, is still recognised in modern times with the popularity of that book.
Palmer helped translate severalEastern Orthodox spiritual texts, the most notable being thePhilokalia, a collaboration withKallistos Ware andPhilip Sherrard. They made available for the first time, in English, the bulk of thatEastern Orthodox text on thehesychasm tradition.[1] He also translated for English readers a book on Greek poetry,The Marble Threshing Floor (1956), a study ofDionysios Solomos,Costis Palamas,Constantin Cavafis,Angelos Sikelianos, andGiorgos Seferis.[2] Palmer's attraction to Eastern Orthodox teachings caused him to go on a pilgrimage in 1948 toMount Athos, Greece, the center of Eastern Orthodox monasticism and inner spirituality. A chance encounter upon his arrival at Mt. Athos resulted in a meeting with a Fr. Nikon, who became Palmer's spiritual father, orstarets in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. By 1950, Palmer officially joined the Orthodox Church. Palmer first translated, with Evgeniia Kadloubovsky, two small volumes of thePhilokalia from the Russian. The publisherFaber and Faber was reluctant to publish such an obscure book, but one of their directors,T. S. Eliot, convinced them to do so based on his own deep impression of the spiritual teachings in that book. Faber and Faber finally relented, expecting to lose money, but instead found that it was a commercial success. In 1971, Palmer invited Ware and Sherrard to join him in a more complete translation of thePhilokalia from the original Greek. Before Palmer's death in 1984, they were able to translate and publish four of the five volumes of thePhilokalia.[1]
Palmer made almost yearly pilgrimages to Mt. Athos.[1]
He was Member of Parliament (MP) forWinchester from1935 until his defeat at the1945 general election by theLabour candidateGeorge Jeger. He also playedcricket forBerkshire in theMinor Counties Championship from 1925 to 1930.[3]
After losing his seat in parliament in the 1945 election, Palmer travelled toMount Athos, which led to a deepening interest in Greek Orthodoxy. He spent much of the rest of his life working on translations of key Orthodox texts.
Palmer served on the Council ofReading University from 1936 who awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Letters (D.Litt.) in 1957 before becoming its president in 1966. He was a Forestry Commissioner between 1963 and 1965.
Born to Eustace Exall Palmer of Drayton House atSherfield on Loddon inHampshire, a director ofHuntley & Palmers biscuits, and his wife, Madeline Mary Howell, atReading inBerkshire.[4] Gerald Palmer was the grandson of Alfred Palmer (1852–1936) who had graduated with a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.). He too was President of the Council of the University of Reading. Alfred was also director of Huntley & Palmer's biscuits, a county magistrate then High Sheriff in 1905 and lived atWokefield Park; his father in turn wasGeorge Palmer MP.[5]
He was educated atWinchester College, Hampshire thenNew College, Oxford. He was Private Secretary to the Prime Minister in 1935 and also that year a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to theParliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the Home Office in 1935. He fought inWorld War II and was mentioned in despatches. He gained the rank of captain in the service of theRoyal Artillery. He was jointly PPS to the Secretary of State Colonies in 1942 and the Lord Privy Seal.[5] His brother was the cricketerRodney Palmer.
He died in 1984 at his home, Bussock Mayne atWinterbourne nearNewbury in Berkshire.
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| Preceded by SirRobert Ellis | Member of Parliament forWinchester 1935–1945 | Succeeded by |
