Tamasin Day-Lewis Remembers Her Father, Poet Cecil Day-Lewis
In a 2006 Vogue essay, Tamasin Day-Lewis reflects on her father, the poet Cecil Day-Lewis, through an Irving Penn portrait taken for American Vogue in 1951. She describes his bow tie, his charisma, and his role as a father who read to her and her brother Daniel. Cecil Day-Lewis, who also wrote crime novels under the pseudonym Nicholas Blake, died when Tamasin was 18 and Daniel was 15. The essay explores his Irish heritage, his early loss of his mother, and his relationship with his children. Tamasin recalls his study, his poetry, and the poem "Children Leaving Home" dedicated to her and Daniel.
Key facts
- Tamasin Day-Lewis wrote 'Bow Ties and Poetry: Father’s Day' for Vogue's January 2006 issue.
- The essay centers on an Irving Penn portrait of Cecil Day-Lewis from 1951.
- Cecil Day-Lewis was a poet, publisher, and crime novelist under the pseudonym Nicholas Blake.
- He died when Tamasin was 18 and her brother Daniel was 15.
- Cecil Day-Lewis lost his mother at age four and was raised by his aunt Knos.
- He corresponded with Thomas Hardy and named Tamasin after Hardy's heroine Thomasin Yeobright.
- The poem 'Children Leaving Home' was dedicated to Tamasin and Daniel.
- The essay was originally published in Vogue's archive series.
Entities
Artists
- Cecil Day-Lewis
- Tamasin Day-Lewis
- Daniel Day-Lewis
- Irving Penn
- L. P. Hartley
- Thomas Hardy
- Wilfred Owen
- E. Nesbit
- C. S. Lewis
Institutions
- Vogue
- Turnbull & Asser
Locations
- Ireland
- Dublin
- England
- Liverpool
- Rathmines