St. Botolph's Review

St. Botolph's Review was a student-made poetry journal associated with Cambridge University in England. Its first issue appeared on 26 February 1956, placing it within a period when younger British writers were beginning to challenge what they regarded as the emotional restraint and conventionality of influential literary figures such as Philip Larkin and Kingsley Amis. The journal is particularly remembered because it provided the first publication venue for poetry by Ted Hughes, who would become one of the major English-language poets of the twentieth century. The publication took its name from St Botolph's Church in Cambridge. Lucas Myers, identified as one of the journal's founders, lived at the church's rectory, linking the journal's name and early literary activity to a specific Cambridge setting. In addition to Hughes, the listed contributors included David Ross, Daniel Huws, Daniel Weissbort, Lucas Myers, Nathaniel Minton, and George Weissbort. The journal therefore represented a small student literary network rather than a commercial magazine operation. St. Botolph's Review also occupies an important place in the cultural history surrounding Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. Plath encountered Hughes's poetry in the journal and attended the launch party with the stated intention of meeting him. The two poets met at that event and later referred to the encounter in their work. Hughes wrote the poem "St Botolph's," while Plath began an unfinished novel about the meeting titled "Falcon Yard," after the street where the party took place. These associations made the journal significant beyond its limited original circulation, connecting a short-lived student publication with the biographies and literary legacies of two internationally known poets. A second edition appeared in 2006, indicating a later effort to preserve or revive access to the publication. In 2010, a copy of the original journal was held by the British Library. The available record does not establish that the journal operated continuously after its original 1956 appearance, nor does it identify a current publisher, commercial owner, continuing editorial team, or active website. St. Botolph's Review is therefore best understood as a historically important Cambridge student poetry journal and literary artifact rather than as a currently operating mass-market magazine brand.

St. Botolph's Review emerged in Cambridge in 1956 as a student-made poetry journal connected with Cambridge University. The first issue was published on 26 February of that year. It was named after St Botolph's Church, Cambridge, whose rectory was the home of Lucas Myers, one of the journal's founders. The publication appears to have been organized around a small circle of students and young writers rather than an established commercial publishing company. The journal's historical importance rests primarily on its contributors and its place in postwar British literary culture. Ted Hughes's poetry appeared in the journal for the first time. Other listed contributors were David Ross, Daniel Huws, Daniel Weissbort, Lucas Myers, Nathaniel Minton, and George Weissbort. The journal is regarded as one of the early expressions of a reaction against the perceived lack of passion and formal conventionality associated with prominent writers such as Philip Larkin and Kingsley Amis, who were influential in the British literary scene at the time. The first issue also became connected with one of the best-known literary relationships of the period. Sylvia Plath read Hughes's poems in the journal and went to the launch party intending to meet him. Hughes and Plath met at that event. Their later writing preserved different versions of the encounter: Hughes commemorated it in the poem "St Botolph's," while Plath began an unfinished novel called "Falcon Yard," named for the street where the party was held. As a result, the journal became a key documentary and symbolic object in accounts of the poets' early relationship. The publication's documented history is brief. The available reference material does not establish a continuous run, a long-term publisher, or a permanent editorial organization after the original issue. A second edition was published in 2006, suggesting renewed interest in making the journal available to readers and researchers. By 2010, an original copy was held by the British Library. This archival preservation is consistent with the journal's significance as evidence of Hughes's early publication history and of the Cambridge literary environment in which Hughes and Plath first met. St. Botolph's Review is consequently best characterized as a historically significant student poetry journal rather than a continuing mainstream periodical. Its importance derives from the combination of its Cambridge origins, its association with a generational shift in British poetry, its first publication of Ted Hughes, and its role in the documented story of Hughes's meeting with Sylvia Plath.

• 2010

  Original copy recorded in the British Library

  [1]St. Botolph's Reviewen.wikipedia.org

  A copy of the original journal was held by the British Library.

• 2006

  Second edition published

  [1]St. Botolph's Reviewen.wikipedia.org

  A second edition was issued five decades after the original journal appeared.

• 1956

  First issue published

  [1]St. Botolph's Reviewen.wikipedia.org

  The first issue of the student-made poetry journal appeared in Cambridge on 26 February 1956.

• 1956

  Ted Hughes receives his first journal publication

  [1]St. Botolph's Reviewen.wikipedia.org

  The journal published poetry by Ted Hughes, marking the first publication of his poetry.

A Cambridge student poetry journal associated with emerging postwar British poetic experimentation and the early publication history of Ted Hughes.

• Poetry journal · 1956

  First issue

  The inaugural issue of St. Botolph's Review appeared on 26 February 1956. It was a Cambridge student literary publication featuring poetry by Ted Hughes and work by several other contributors associated with the journal's founding circle.

• Reissued literary edition · 2006

  Second edition

  A second edition was published in 2006. The available sources do not specify its publisher, print run, editorial changes, or distribution, but its appearance demonstrates continued scholarly or literary interest in the original journal.

• 2006

  Issue of a second editionGeneration change

  Background

  The historically important 1956 student poetry journal had acquired lasting literary significance through its association with Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.

  Action taken

  A second edition was published in 2006.

  Aftermath

  The reissue helped maintain the journal as an accessible literary and archival object, although the available sources do not document its circulation or commercial impact.

  Source

1. 1St. Botolph's Reviewen.wikipedia.org
2. 2British Library Archive throws light on Hughes and Plaththeguardian.com