Hendry, James Findlay (1912-1986: author, poet and translator)

James Findlay Hendry was born in Glasgow on 12 September 1912. He was a student of modern languages at the University of Glasgow, although he did not graduate. He served in the Intelligence Corps during World War II. He later held a temporary post at the University in the Institute of Soviet & East European Studies before becoming Head of School of Translating and Interpreting at Laurentian University, Ontario, Canada. Hendry was a founder of the New Apocalypse movement which also included G S Fraser and Norman MacCaig, and with Henry Treece he edited the movement's three anthologies, The New Apocalypse ( 1939 ), The White Horseman ( 1941 ) and Crown and Sickle ( 1944 ). and consist mainly of press cutting reviews of his work, drafts of novels, notes and notebooks, and audio cassettes. Included are over 500 letters, many from other poets, artists and authors such as Neil Gunn, Naomi Mitchison, Norman Maccaig, and Edwin Muir. After the war Hendry worked as a translator with the United Nations. In addition to his verse collections he wrote a novel, Fernie Brae ( 1947 ), which draws on his childhood memories. His other works include: Scottish Short Stories ( 1969 ); Marimarusa ( 1978 ); Your Career as a Translator and Interpreter ( 1980 ) and The Sacred Threshold: a Life of Rilke (1982). He died on 17 December 1986 .

From the guide to the Papers of James Findlay Hendry, 1912-1986, author, poet and translator, 1942-1989, (Glasgow University Library, Special Collections Department)