Welcome to the Ronald Duncan Literary Foundation

Ronald Duncan (1914-1982) was a productive West Country author whose literary career encompassed journalism, fiction, poetry, film scripts and plays.

He is best known as a playwright for This Way to the Tomb (1946), his epic poem 'Man' (The Complete Cantos, 1970) and as the librettist for The Rape of Lucretia (1947) an opera he co-wrote with Benjamin Britten.  He was also a farmer, horse and pig breeder and wartime pacifist who lived and worked most of his life in North Devon.

As well as his many books, Duncan also left as his legacy a fascinating archive of literary and personal papers: The Ronald Duncan Collection now housed at the University of Exeter, Devon, UK.

The author also established a Literary Foundation in his name which today supports creative excellence in literature and drama and promotes causes in the arts which the Trustees consider to be of value.