Robert Payne Collection Collection 293
Chronology
1911 Pierre Stephen Robert Payne was born December 4, 1911, in Saltash, County of Cornwall,
England; attended St. Paul's School, London.
1928-1930 Attended the Diocesan College, Rondebosch, South Africa and the University of Capetown,
1928-1930.
1931-1933 Worked as a shipwright's apprentice at Cammell, Laird's Shipbuilding Company, Birkendhead.
1933-1935 Attended Liverpool University.
1936 Worked for the Inland Revenue as an Assistant Inspector of Taxes in Guilford.
1937 Attended the University of Munich in summer.
1937-1938 Attended the Sorbonne, in Paris, 1938.
1937-1938 Traveled in Europe.
1938 (summer) Covered the Civil War in Spain for the London News Chronicle.
1939 Returned to Barcelona, Spain.
1939 Visited his parents in Singapore.
1939-1941 September Worked as a shipwright at the Singapore Naval Base and in 1941 he became an armament
officer and chief camouflage officer for British Army Intelligence there.
1941 December Was sent to Chungking, China, to serve as Cultural Liaison Officer at the British
Embassy.
1942 January Covered the battle of Changsha for the London Times.
1942-1943 Taught English literature at Fuhtan University, near Chungking.
1942 August 13 Married Rose Hsiung, daughter of Hsiung Hse-ling, a former prime minister of China.
1943-1946 September Moved to Kunming and taught English poetry and naval architecture at Lienta University.
Together with Chinese scholars and poets, compiled and co-translated The White Pony.
Met General George C. Marshall, Chiang Kai-shek, and Mao Tse-tung.
1946 Summer Briefly visited India. Interviewed Jinnah and Nehru.
1946 November Came to the United States. Lived in Madison Square Hotel, 26th Street and Madison
Avenue.
1946 December Spent Christmas in Boston.
1947 January Went to California. Mailing address c/o Mary Pritchard, New York City. Visited San
Francisco.
1947 May Traveled to Santa Monica, California. Rented a room from Anna Mae Wong, 236 San Vicente
Boulevard.
1947 June Rented a room from Mrs. Jessie Carmak, 1422 San Vicente Boulevard, Santa Monica.
1947 July Rented a room from Mrs. Ivy Wilson, 643 North Hayworth Boulevard, Los Angeles.
1947 August Moved to 1538 North McCadden Place, Hollywood.
1947 September Moved to 1321 South Hudson Avenue, Los Angeles.
1949 (spring) Visited Persia with the Asia Institute Expedition.
1949 May Traveled with Arthur Upham Pope to Paris, Constantinople, Baghdad, and London.
1949-1954 Professor of English and Author-in-Residence at Alabama College, Montevallo. Founded
the Montevallo Review.
1950 June Visited New York City.
1950 August Letters addressed to Lyman Wyman Spalding, 11577 Missouri Avenue, Los Angeles.
1951 February Received an honorary M.A. degree from the Asia Institute.
1951 August Mailing address. R.R. 1, Box 379A, Topanga, California.
1952 Divorced Rose Hsiung Payne.
1952 Visited Charles Olson at Black Mountain College, North Carolina.
1952 May Mailing address 21324 Hillside Drive, Topanga, California.
1953 June-July Lived at Royalton Hotel, New York City.
1953 Address Hollywood Athletic Club, 6525 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood.
1953? December 9 Became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
1954 May, October Visited Rex Stead in Miami Beach, Florida
1954 October-November Shared apartment with James Putnam, 31 West 12th Street, New York City
1955 August, September Hollywood Athletic Club
1956 July Traveled in Europe.
1956 November Hollywood Athletic Club.
1956 210 Riverside Drive, New York City
1958 August Visited Greece and Rhodes.
1959 January-March 1960 Van Cortland Hotel, New York City
1960 2 West 67th Street.
1962 Visited Israel.
1965 Visited Rome.
1967 Bought 2 West 67th Street Apartment
1967 Became the series editor of The Russian Library, issued by New York University's
Washington Square Press.
1967 Chairman of the Translation Committee of P.E.N.
1976 Founded the Translation Center at Columbia with Frank MacShane and William Jay Smith.
1981 Married Sheila Lalwani.
1983 February 18, 1983 Died while on vacation in Bermuda.
1983 March 3 Memorial service at the chapel at Columbia University.
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