Gerald Palmer

Gerald Eustace Howell Palmer (9 June 1904 – 7 February 1984) was a United Kingdom author, book translator, and Conservative Party politician. Palmer's work in translating the Philokalia, an Eastern Orthodox spiritual text, is still recognised in modern times with the popularity of that book. Eastern Orthodox writings Palmer helped translate several Eastern Orthodox spiritual texts, the most notable being the Philokalia, a collaboration with Kallistos Ware and Philip Sherrard. They made available for the first time, in English, the bulk of that Eastern Orthodox text on the hesychasm tradition. He also translated for English readers a book on Greek poetry, The Marble Threshing Floor (1956), a study of Dionysios Solomos, Costis Palamas, Constantin Cavafis, Angelos Sikelianos, and Giorgos Seferis. Palmer's attraction to Eastern Orthodox teachings caused him to go on a pilgrimage in 1948 to Mount Athos, Greece, the center of Eastern Orthodox monasticism and inner spirituality. A chance meeting upon his arrival at Mt. Athos resulted in a meeting with a Fr. Nikon, who became Palmer's spiritual father, or starets in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. By 1950, Palmer officially joined the Orthodox Church. Palmer first translated, with Evgeniia Kadloubovsky, two small volumes of the Philokalia from the Russian. The publisher Faber and Faber was reluctant to publish such an obscure book, but one of their directors, T. S. Eliot, convinced them to do so based on his own deep impression of the spiritual teachings in that book. Faber and Faber finally relented, expecting to lose money, but instead found that it was a commercial success. In 1971, Palmer invited Ware and Sherrard to join him in a more complete translation of the Philokalia from the original Greek. Before Palmer's death in 1984, they were able to translate and publish four of the five volumes of the Philokalia. Palmer made almost yearly pilgrimages to Mt. Athos. He wrote an article on his journeys titled The Paths of Athos, published in Eastern Churches Review in 1977. Political career He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Winchester from 1935 until his defeat at the 1945 general election by the Labour candidate George Jeger. He also played cricket for Berkshire in the Minor Counties Championship from 1925 to 1930.