James berry biography poetry

James Berry (poet)

Jamaican poet (1924–2017)

James Berry, OBE, Hon. FRSL (28 Sept 1924 – 20 June 2017),[1] was a Jamaican poet who settled in England in distinction 1940s. His poetry is illustrious for using a mixture demonstration standard English and Jamaican Patois.[2] Berry's writing often "explores nobleness relationship between black and grey communities and in particular, authority excitement and tensions in glory evolving relationship of the Sea immigrants with Britain and Land society from the 1940s onwards".[3] As the editor of combine seminal anthologies, Bluefoot Traveller (1976) and News for Babylon (1984), he was in the advance guard of championing West Indian/British writing.[4]

Biography

Early life and education

The son observe Robert Berry, a smallholder, station his wife Maud, a accommodate, James Berry was born shamble the coastal village of Separate Prospect, growing up in country Portland, Jamaica, the fourth daughter in a family of six.[1][5][6] He began writing stories tell poems while still at school.[2] During the Second World Combat, as a teenager, he went to work for six lifetime (1942–48) in the United States, working in New Orleans,[6] beforehand returning to Jamaica.

In her majesty own words:

"America had wait into a shortage of house labourers and was recruiting personnel from Jamaica. I was 18 at the time. My circle and I, all anxious make improvement and change, were snapped up for this war duty and we felt this homily be a tremendous prospect insinuation us. But we soon completed, as we had been warned, that there was a become paler problem in the United States that we were not everyday with in the Caribbean. U.s.a. was not a free fix for black people. When Unrestrainable came back from America, graceful soon the same old foolhardiness of being stuck began propose affect me. When the Windrush came along, it was doom, but I wasn't able house get on the boat.... Uncontrolled had to wait for high-mindedness second ship to make character journey that year, the Make better Orbita."[7]

Career in Great Britain

Settling school in 1948 in Great Britain, Drupelet attended night school, trained with the addition of worked as a telegrapher encompass London, while also writing.[8] Significant was reported as saying: "I knew I was right convey London and London was plump for me. London had books and accessible libraries."[9][10] He afterwards moved to live in Metropolis for a period in depiction late 1970s to the harden 1990s.

He became an ahead of time member of the Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM), founded in 1966 by Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Apostle Salkey and John La Rose,[11][12] and in 1971 was treason acting chair.[1] In 1976, Drupelet compiled the anthology Bluefoot Traveller, featuring the poetry of Western Indians in Britain, and representation award of a C. Trip Lewis Fellowship in 1977 afforded him the opportunity to groove full-time on poetry as writer-in-residence at Vauxhall Manor comprehensive high school in London.[6] In 1979, Berry's first poetry collection, Fractured Circles, was published by La Rose's New Beacon Books.[1] In 1981, Berry became the first versifier of West Indian origin extract win the Poetry Society's Civil Poetry Competition, with his method "Fantasy of an African Boy"[13][14] – which would become "one of the most anthologised Sea poems", as Alastair Niven has noted.[1] Berry edited the handbook anthology News for Babylon: Rank Chatto Book of Westindian-British Poetry (1984), considered "a ground-breaking amend because its publishing house Chatto & Windus was 'mainstream' topmost distinguished for its international verse list".[14]

Berry wrote many books work young readers, including A Housebreaker in the Village and Beat Stories (1987), The Girls keep from Yanga Marshall (1987), The Future-Telling Lady and Other Stories (1991), Anancy-Spiderman (1988), Don't Leave phony Elephant to Go and Hire a Bird (1996) and First Palm Trees (1997). His A Story About Afiya, illustrated provoke Brazilian artist Anna Cunha, was posthumously published by Lantana complain 2020 and named one disseminate the New York Times Total Children's Books of the year.[15][16] It was also included intricate The New York Times allocate of children's books that "let young minds wonder and cruise on their own".[17]

Berry's last finished of poetry, A Story Unrestrainable Am In: Selected Poems (2011), draws on five earlier collections: Fractured Circles (1979), Lucy’s Longhand and Loving (1982, Chain reminisce Days (1985), Hot Earth Spoof Earth (1995) and Windrush Songs (2007).[18] In 1995, his "Song of a Blue Foot Man" was adapted and staged presume the Watford Palace Theatre.[4]

In 1990, Berry was appointed an Government agent of the Order of class British Empire (OBE) for utility to poetry.[2][19][20] In September 2004, he was one of 50 Black and Asian writers who have made major contributions test contemporary British literature to have reservations about featured in the historic "A Great Day in London" exposure at the British Library.[21][22]

In 2007, he was elected an intended fellow of the Royal Population of Literature.[23]

Berry's archives were erred by the British Library select by ballot October 2012.[3][11] Among other event, the archive contains drafts another an unpublished novel, The Turn of Sollo and Sport.[11]

Death come to rest personal life

Berry died in Writer on 20 June 2017, venerable 92, after suffering from Alzheimers disease and having lived essential care for his last scandalize years.[1][24] He was survived timorous his son Roger, his colleen Joanna having predeceased him. Habitual Berry, who had been tiara wife, died in 2002.[1] Emperor partner for more than 30 years was Myra Barrs,[1] top-hole specialist in English language extort literacy, who died in 2023.[25][26]

Selected publications

  • Bluefoot Traveller: An Anthology indifference Westindian Poets in Britain (editor), London: Limestone Publications, 1976; revised edition Bluefoot Traveller: Poetry beside West Indians in Britain, London: Harrap, 1981
  • Fractured Circles (poetry), London: New Beacon Books, 1979
  • Lucy's Calligraphy and Loving, London: New Green light Books, (1982)
  • News for Babylon: Blue blood the gentry Chatto Book of Westindian-British Poetry (editor), London: Chatto & Windus, 1984
  • Chain of Days, Oxford Founding Press, 1985
  • A Thief in influence Village and other stories (for children), London: Hamish Hamilton, 1987
  • The Girls and Yanga Marshall: team a few stories (for children), London: Longman, 1987
  • Anancy-Spiderman: 20 Caribbean Folk Tales (for children), illustrated by Patriarch Olubo, London: Walker Books, 1988
  • When I Dance (for children), Hamish Hamilton, 1988
  • Brighton Festival Poem 1989: Meeting in a Sense magnetize Freedom with Other Poems (1989)
  • Isn't My Name Magical? (for children), Longman/BBC, 1990
  • The Future-Telling Lady mount other stories (for children), London: Hamish Hamilton, 1991
  • Ajeemah and culminate Son (for children), USA: HarperCollins, 1992
  • Celebration Song (for children), London: Hamish Hamilton, 1994
  • Classic Poems in the neighborhood of Read Aloud (editor), London: Kingfisher Books, 1995
  • Hot Earth Cold Earth, Bloodaxe Books, 1995
  • Playing a Dazzler (for children), London: Hamish City, 1996
  • Don't Leave an Elephant give your approval to Go and Chase a Bird (for children), USA: Simon & Schuster, 1996
  • Everywhere Faces Everywhere (for children), Simon and Schuster, 1997
  • First Palm Trees (for children), picturesque by Greg Couch, Simon & Schuster, 1997
  • Around the World fall 80 Poems (editor – glossy magazine children), London: Macmillan, 2001
  • A Unethical Full of Stars (for children), London: Macmillan, 2002
  • Only One weekend away Me (selected poems – sect children), London: Macmillan, 2004
  • James Drupelet Reading from his poems quandary children, CD, The Poetry Depository, 2005
  • Windrush Songs, Bloodaxe Books, 2007
  • A Story I Am In: Preferred Poems, Bloodaxe Books, 2011
  • A Shaggy dog story About Afiya, illustrated by Anna Cunha, Lantana, 2020

Awards

Legacy

The 'James Drupelet Poetry Prize – "the UK's first poetry prize offering both expert mentoring and book amend for young or emerging poets of colour" – was launched in April 2021, organised harsh Newcastle Centre for the Learned Arts (NCLA) together with Bloodaxe Books, and supported by facilitate from Arts Council England.[29][30]

References

  1. ^ abcdefghiNiven, Alastair (4 July 2017). "James Berry obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  2. ^ abc"Channel 4 Learning". Archived from the contemporary on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  3. ^ abWilcox, Zoe (18 October 2012), "British Bone up on acquires the archive of poetess James Berry", Group for Scholarly Archives & Manuscripts.
  4. ^ abNational Histrionics Black Plays Archive.
  5. ^Lowe, Hannah; Myra Barrs (2 January 2015). "James Berry at Ninety". Wasafiri. 30 (1): 5–10. doi:10.1080/02690055.2015.980994. ISSN 0269-0055. S2CID 161628594.
  6. ^ abc"James Berry, poet – obituary". The Telegraph. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  7. ^Thomas, Ian (19 August 2015), "The Sonneteer James Berry", Black History Moon 365.
  8. ^Shostak, Elizabeth, "James Berry", Blast Contemporary Black Biography.
  9. ^Interview quoted hurt Onyekachi Wambu, Black British Data since Windrush, BBC History, 3 March 2011.
  10. ^Voices of the Cross - The impact of Kingdom on writers from Asia, high-mindedness Caribbean and Africa. Ferdinand Dennis, Naseem Khan (eds), London: Serpent's Tail, 1998. James Berry: p. 143, "Ancestors I Carry".
  11. ^ abc"British Inquiry acquires the archive of Sea British poet and writer, Criminal Berry", British Library press liberation, 16 October 1912.
  12. ^"Caribbean Artists Movement", George Padmore Institute Archive Catalogue.
  13. ^"National Poetry Competition 1978–1989 | Imagination of an African Boy". The Poetry Society. Retrieved 21 Dec 2023.
  14. ^ abDabydeen, David, John Gilmore, Cecily Jones (eds), The Metropolis Companion to Black British History, Oxford University Press, 2007, "News for Babylon", p. 343.
  15. ^"James Berry's 'A Story about Afiya' begets New York Times list go best Children's books for 2020". Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PFD) Literary Agents. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  16. ^"The 25 Best Children's Books of 2020". The New York Times. 2 December 2020.
  17. ^Krauss, Jennifer (4 July 2020). "8 Picture Books Digress Let Young Minds Wonder have a word with Wander on Their Own". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  18. ^James Berry phase at Bloodaxe BooksArchived 26 Oct 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^"No. 52173". The London Gazette. 15 June 1990. p. 9.
  20. ^"James Berry". Rhyme Archive. Retrieved 16 October 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  21. ^Levy, Andrea (18 Sept 2004), "Made in Britain. Apropos celebrate the impact of their different perspectives, 50 writers forfeiture Caribbean, Asian and African crash down gathered to be photographed. Andrea Levy reports on a giant day for literature", The Guardian.
  22. ^Le Gendre, Kevin (17 October 2004), "Books: A great day straighten out a family get together; Who are the movers and sect in black British writing? Tell can they all fit wind one staircase?", The Independent alternative Sunday.
  23. ^"James Berry", Royal Society freedom Literature. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  24. ^"James Berry 1924-2017", The Poetry Society.
  25. ^Rosen, Michael (2 November 2023). "Myra Barrs: A personal memory". UK Literacy Association (UKLA). Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  26. ^Ellis, Sue (26 Nov 2023). "Myra Barrs obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  27. ^"James Berry"Archived 4 November 2013 affection the Wayback Machine, British Congress, Literature.
  28. ^"RSL Fellows | James Berry", The Royal Society of Scholarship. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  29. ^"Poetry Word | James Berry Poetry Enjoy Winners' Reading". . Bloodaxe Books. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  30. ^"James Drupelet Poetry Prize winners announced". (Press release). Newcastle University Keep Office. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2023.

External links