A 20th-century British author, poet and translator, he is remembered for An Asiatic Romance (1953), The London Zoo (1961), and other poetry collections. As a translator, he focused on the work of Catullus, Horace, Dante, and Racine.
He studied philosophy and English at the University of Bristol and was stationed during World War II at the British Army's post in India.
He began working as a civil servant in 1936. His poetry collection, The London Zoo, offers a pointed social critique of the British Civil Service.
He married Nora Gilbertson in 1937. The couple later became parents to two daughters.
His poetry was first published in X, a London journal founded by artist Patrick Swift.
