Hugo Dyson

Henry Victor Dyson Dyson (1896–1975), generally known as Hugo Dyson and who signed his writings H. V. D. Dyson, was an English academic and a member of the Inklings literary group. He was a committed Christian, and together with J.R.R. Tolkien, he helped persuade C.S. Lewis to convert to active Christianity.

Dyson taught English at the University of Reading from 1924 until obtaining a fellowship at Merton College, Oxford in 1945. He retired in 1963.

Dyson was not not a prolific writer, but the high quality and voluminous quantity of his lectures and general conversation made quite an impact on people. He much preferred talk at Inklings meetings to readings and is recorded by A. N. Wilson in his biography of Lewis as having interrupted J.R.R. Tolkien's readings from The Lord of the Rings — once notably with "Oh no! Not another f#@%ing elf!" While this may seem harsh, Dyson was hardly alone in his distaste for Tolkien's stories, and eventually Tolkien quit reading from them to the group altogether. Actually, it seems clear from the letters of C.S. Lewis that Dyson was considered the most fun loving of the Inklings, and Warnie Lewis liked him best of all.

Dyson, an expert on Shakespeare, was asked in the early 1960's to host some televised lectures and plays about the great writer. His easy, relaxed style won him several new friends. This would lead to his having a small part in the film Darling in 1965 where he played the role of Professor Walter Southgate, a leading literary character of the age who would die in the film.