Henry William Massingham was the editor of The Nation, (later The Nation & Athenoeum), a leading British radical weekly newspaper, between 1907 and 1923. He first commented on Sassoon’s poetry on 16th June 1917 when he wrote in The Nation that Sassoon’s war poems...
‘were not realism or even poetry but epigrams (“by no means the fruit of genius”) well suited to honest rage and scorn, heartfelt bitterness and indignation. Sassoon’s other work he thought merely typical of an intelligent and promising young poet.’ (Egremont 2005).
Massingham detested the idea which was popular at the time in some circles that the war had a cleansing quality. He saw Sassoon’s work as an antidote to this and viewed it as a move from literature toward genuine political protest.
Sassoon had struck up a friendship during the war with pacifist Lady Ottoline Morrell who lived at Garsington Manor near Oxford with her politician husband, Philip Morrell. Sassoon had gone there to recuperate after being wounded. The Morrells invited prominent pacifists to stay at Garsington and this developed into what became known as the Bloomsbury Group.
In the meantime, one day Rabindranath was invited at a lunch by H.W.Massingham, the editor of "The Nation".This paper had already published a translation by Ajit Kumar of Rabindranath's "Sab Payechir Desh". This was the first publication of Rabindranth's article in a foreign paper and this was the link of introduction of the poet with the editor of "The Nation".
Rabindranath wrote in an article "London-e",
" the writers and the editors meet at a lunch once in a week.During their lunch they discuss on several items and take decisions on the publication of articles in the next issue. It is needless to say that the writers of such a good news paper are all exceptionally brilliant in knowledge and efficiency. I was much pleased to remain present there as a guest."
Rabindranath sent the paper to Ajit Kumar with his published article on 28th June but the lunch took place earlier.
