Talk:David Jones (artist-poet)

Father John Gray

 * the priest who received Jones into the Church, Father John Gray (in fact the model for G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown character)

I believe the model for Father Brown to have been Father John O'Connor (see the Wikipedia article on Father Brown).

BTW - is this Father John Gray the poet (see Wipedia article on John Gray (poet))? It's a common name, and after becoming a priest, that John Gray worked in Edinburgh, but I just thought I'd ask. Countersubject 10:17, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

Of course, this is an irrelevant question, because it was Father John O'Connor who received Jones into the church and encouraged him to join the community at Ditchling. I'll make the change accordingly. Countersubject 19:15, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

There's a connection between DJ and John Gray: Gray was read by Jones, and Hague printed two volumes of Gray's writing at Pigotts in 1931-32 ("Dai Greatcoat", p. 62n.)I'm not sure whether there is a connection between John Gray and Nicolette Gray, who was a friend of Jones's and wrote about him extensively. If I turn anything up I'll append it here. --Sordel 22:14, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

Jones knew Canon John Gray (William Blissett, "The Long Conversation", 10). According to Thomas Dilworth in "The Shape of Meaning", Jones once walked from Capel y Fyn to Hay on Wye with Gill and Gray. --Sordel 22:34, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

Later Biography
The biographical details largely give out after Capel-y-fin. E.g did he move to Pigotts with Gill, or did he leave Capel before this? Where did he live between the Gill years and Harrow-on-the-Hill? Countersubject 13:17, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

DJ was rather rootless and moved around quite a lot in middle age. If you want to check his movements, try "Dai Greatcoat: A self-portrait of David Jones in his letters", Edited by René Hague (Faber, 1980). Hague gives approximate movements: 1925-46 "Caldey, Pigotts, Sidmouth, London, Bowden House". Basically he seemed to stay with friends or patrons. Jones moved to Harrow in 1947 and lived there until his death. Most writing about Jones's biography concentrates on his period with Gill because it was the time when he most obviously participated in the artistic movements of his day ... he was something of an outsider thereafter. Sordel 22:05, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

Jones and Music
There's a tantalisingly brief reference to DJ's love of plainsong in the section of Blisset's Long Conversation that deals with Stravinsky's visit to Harrow-on-the Hill. Does anyone know any more about this? Countersubject 13:17, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

The Sleeping Lord
The article mentions the BBC broadcasts of In Parenthesis and The Anathemata. As I recall there ws also one of The Sleeping Lord, though I cannot remember when - possibly around 1989. Deipnosophista (talk) 15:40, 20 December 2008 (UTC)