Arthur Symons

Arthur William Symons (28 February 1865 – 22 January 1945) was a British poet, critic, translator and magazine editor.

Life

Born in Milford Haven, Wales, to Cornish parents, Symons was educated privately, spending much of his time in France and Italy. In 1884–1886, he edited four of Bernard Quaritch's Shakespeare Quarto Facsimiles, and in 1888–1889 seven plays of the "Henry Irving" Shakespeare. He became a member of the staff of the Athenaeum in 1891, and of the Saturday Review in 1894, but his major editorial feat was his work with the short-lived Savoy.

In 1892, The Minister's Call, Symons' first play, was produced by the Independent Theatre Society – a private club – to avoid censorship by the Lord Chamberlain's Office.

Symons conducted a series of affairs throughout his life, but around 1893, he began a long-term relationship with a secret lover who has never been identified but whom he called "Lydia" and commemorated in his book Amoris Victima (1897). On June 19, 1901 he married Rhoda Bowser (1874–1936), an aspiring actress and oldest daughter of a Newcastle-upon-Tyne shipping magnate.

Lydia Symons, Symons' mother, died in March 1896. She and Symons have been described as having had an affectionate relationship, about which Symons wrote a sonnet. The same year, Symons met and began an extensive correspondence with Sarojini Naidu. Their letters contain advice he gave regarding her work as a poet and exhibit their ambiguous relationship. A scholar speculates that Symons viewed Naidu as a daughter, mother, and lover.