Anne Beresford

Anne Ellen File (10 September 1928 – 14 July 2023) known by her pen-name Anne Beresford, was a British poet. Her poetry explored themes of spirituality, mortality, and the fragility of daily life.

Early life and education

Anne Beresford was born in Redhill, Surrey, England. Her father, Richmond File, was a travelling salesman who sold films, while her mother, Margaret (née Kent), played piano for silent films and trombone in ladies' orchestras. As a child, Beresford modelled for advertisements for soap products such as Persil. She developed a love of reading early on, particularly enjoying Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb.

Her style often included vivid imagery drawn from nature alongside explorations of human consciousness. She balanced spiritual themes with reflections on personal experiences and societal changes. at a Christmas dinner organised by her elder sister Elizabeth. Hamburger had escaped Nazi persecution and served in the British Army during World War II. Six months after meeting, they married in 1951. The couple initially lived in Suffolk in a farmhouse surrounded, alongside their two cats named Pushkin and Trotsky.

They divorced in 1967 but remarried in 1974. Together they had three children: Mary Anne (a retired teacher and visual artist), Richard (a dealer in first edition books), and Claire (a counsellor, visual artist, poet, and musician). After Hamburger's death in 2007, Beresford moved to Knodishall, Suffolk, where she hosted gatherings for poetry readings, music performances, theological discussions, and play-readings. Beresford died on 14 July 2023 at the age of 94 in Knodishall, Suffolk. Translation: Vera Lungu's Alexandros: Selected Poems (1975) Radio plays: including Struck by Apollo (1965) and The Villa (1968), co-written with Michael Hamburger