Arthur Quiller-Couch Arthur Quiller-Couch Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (; 21 November 186312 May 1944) was a Cornish writer who published using the pseudonym Q. Although a prolific novelist, he is remembered mainly for the monumental publication "The Oxford Book Of English Verse 1250–1900" (later extended to 1918) and for his literary criticism. He influenced many who never met him, including American writer Helene Hanff, author of "84, Charing Cross Road" and its sequel, "Q's Legacy". His "Oxford Book of English Verse" was a favourite of John Mortimer fictional character Horace Rumpole. Arthur Quiller-Couch was born in the town of Bodmin, Cornwall, by
Robert Gittings in the "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". While still at school he published poems and thus encountered Christopher Fry, a lifelong friend. At the University of Cambridge, he was encouraged by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, editor of the "Oxford Book of English Verse", whose rooms in college were near his, and in 1931 he was awarded the Chancellor's gold medal for English verse. In 1933, Gittings was elected a research fellow of Jesus College and became a history supervisor in 1938. In 1940. he took a job with BBC Radio as a producer and writer, remaining with the Corporation twenty-three years.