London, Paris, London

Richard Aldington by Thomas MacGreevy

Thomas MacGreevy met the writer Richard Aldington at James Joyce's apartment in Paris in 1928.They became friends and travelled together in Europe between 1928-1931. MacGreevy's study of Aldington was published by Chatto and Windus in 1931.

Richard Aldington by Thomas MacGreevy

Richard Aldington by Thomas MacGreevy

Thomas MacGreevy met the writer Richard Aldington at James Joyce's apartment in Paris in 1928.They became friends and travelled together in Europe between 1928-1931. MacGreevy's study of Aldington was published by Chatto and Windus in 1931.

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London 1925-7
MacGreevy moved to London in 1925 and it is during this period that he began writing poetry.

T.S. Eliot, who was later the subject of a monograph by MacGreevy, employed him as a reviewer at The Criterion. He later worked as Assistant Editor of The Connoisseur, a journal of the fine arts. He remained in London until 1927.

Paris 1927 - 1933
In January 1927 Thomas MacGreevy moved to Paris and took up a temporary post at the Ècole Normale Superieure which attracted the elite of young French intellectuals.

He took a very active part in the cultural life of Paris and was part of the inner circle that surrounded James Joyce at that time. In late 1928 Samuel Beckett also arrived at the Ècole. Beckett and MacGreevy immediately hit if off and their friendship lasted until MacGreevy's death. A gregarious and outgoing man, MacGreevytook the solitary and reserved Beckett under his wing and was instrumental in introducing him to Joyce.

It has often been remarked on that MacGreevy had 'a gift for friendships'. He knew everybody that mattered in literary circles including W.B. Yeats, T.S. Eliot and of course Beckett and Joyce.

While in Paris he also edited Formes, a journal of the fine arts and in 1931 he published monographs on both T.S. Eliot and Richard Aldington. During this period he visited Italy and Greece in the company of Aldington and others.

London 1931-1933
In late 1931 he moved back to London and began work on his book on Jack B. Yeats.

1934 was a significant year which saw the publication of 'Poems'.

During this period he worked at the National Gallery and undertook literary translations.

His work in the National Gallery was disrupted by the Blitz in London and he returned to Dublin in 1941.