About
Roy Croft is a pseudonym with no verifiable existence, used to attribute a famous love poem to a fictional author. The poem beginning 'I love you not only for what you are...' was written by American poet Mary Carolyn Davies (1888-1974) and published under her name in the Epworth Herald in 1918. The erroneous attribution to Roy Croft appeared in a 1936 anthology, then was corrected by its editor in 1943. In 1979, a 28-page collection was self-published under this name, but no biographical information has ever been confirmed.
Key milestones
- 1918The poem attributed to Roy Croft is first published under Mary Carolyn Davies's name in the Epworth Herald.
- 1936The erroneous attribution to Roy Croft appears in the anthology Best Loved Poems of the American People.
- 1943Editor Hazel Felleman publicly corrects the attribution, identifying Mary Carolyn Davies as the author.
Themes
LoveIdentityLiterary misattribution
Sources: poetryfoundation.org · poets.org · oregonencyclopedia.org