R. C. (Rudolf Chambers) Lehmann

Born in 1856, Rudolf Chambers Lehmann wrote under the name R. C. Lehmann and built a varied career as a man of letters, journalist, and sportsman. He is especially associated with Cambridge, where he helped found The Granta in 1889, a student publication that would later grow into the famous literary magazine Granta.

Lehmann also became well known through his work for Punch, where his light verse and humorous writing found a wide readership. His writing had a lively, playful quality, but he was not limited to literary journalism: he also wrote about rowing, a sport in which he had serious personal experience.

That combination of literary wit and athletic knowledge makes him a distinctive figure in late Victorian and early 20th-century British culture. Remembered today both for his place in the history of Granta and for his contribution to sports writing, he left behind the picture of a writer equally at home in the worlds of magazines, satire, and the river.