John Oxenford

John Oxenford (12 August 1812 – 21 February 1877) was an English dramatist, critic and translator.

Life

Oxenford was born in Camberwell, London, his father a prosperous merchant. While he was privately educated, it is reported that he was mostly self-taught in Greek, Latin and modern languages. His first play was My Fellow Clerk, produced at the Lyceum Theatre in 1835. This was followed by a long series of pieces, the most famous of which was perhaps the Porter's Knot (1858) and Twice Killed (1835). He also wrote many operatic libretti, including eight for George Alexander Macfarren, including Robin Hood (1860) and Helvellyn (1864). Later in life he became dramatic critic of The Times was written in order to present Schopenhauer as a critic of Hegel. It was translated and published in the Vossische Zeitung, which resulted in German readers showing enthusiastic and enduring interest in Schopenhauer's writings. It also advanced the cause of Richard Wagner in Britain.

He died in Southwark on 21 February 1877.

Legacy His 1835 one-act A Day Well Spent, after expansion, translation, and rewriting, formed the basis of Thornton Wilder's 1954 play The Matchmaker, which itself was the basis of the 1964 stage musical Hello, Dolly! and its 1969 film adaptation.

Many references to his pieces will be found in The Life and Reminiscences of E. L. Blanchard (ed. C Scott and C Howard, 1891).