ABSTRACT
Born in South Africa, William Plomer (1903–73) published ‘Turbott Wolfe’, his pioneer novel on Black Africa, at the age of 22. In his capacity as publisher’s reader, he introduced the work of Ian Fleming to the firm of Jonathan Cape, and he later discovered and edited the Kilvert Diaries (3 vols, 1938–40). In addition to his many other books – novels, short stories, autobiographies, and verse including ‘Collected Poems’ (1960) and ‘Taste and Remember’ (1966) – he also wrote several libretti for Benjamin Britten, including ‘Curlew River’, ‘The Burning Fiery Furnace’, and ‘The Prodigal Son’.
