A. C. Benson Biography

Arthur Christopher Benson was an accomplished English author, poet and essayist. A number of his ghost stories have also been published along with stories of the same genre created by his illustrious brothers, Edward Fredric Benson and Robert Hugh Benson. But, he is best known as the author of a particular British patriotic song, ‘Land of Hope and Glory’. He lived closed to a renowned Cathedral as his father was the Archbishop of Canterbury. Perhaps this brought out the ecclesiastical influence in his life. Though marred by spells of deep depression right from childhood to his last years, A. C. Benson was a distinguished academic, who became the 28th Master of Magdalene College at Cambridge. His notable works include ‘The Upton Letters’ and ‘From a College Window’. As he was also a notable biographer - he co-edited Queen Victoria’s letters. However, A. C. Benson is renowned for his diary entries that he had recorded in about 180 notebooks. The author was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in Britain, and founded the Benson Medal to honour most meritorious works in fiction, poetry, history and “belles-lettres”.