Summary
W. N. Herbert FRSL, also known as Bill Herbert (born 1961) is a poet from Dundee, Scotland. He writes in both English and Scots. He and Richard Price founded the poetry magazine Gairfish. He currently teaches at Newcastle University.[1]
Bill Herbert | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1961 Dundee, Scotland |
| Pen name | W. N. Herbert |
| Occupation | poet, academic |
| Language | English and Scots |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Alma mater | Brasenose College, Oxford |
| Website | |
| wnherbert | |
Early life edit
Herbert was born in 1961 in Dundee. He was educated at Grove Academy and then studied at Brasenose College, Oxford gaining a Doctor of Philosophy in 1992 after completing a thesis on the work of Hugh MacDiarmid.[2]
Career edit
In 1994, he was one of 20 poets chosen by a panel of judges, as the New Generation in a promotion organised by the Poetry Society.[3] He was one of the writers involved in the Informationist poetry movement that emerged in Scotland in the 1990s.
He became a Professor of Poetry & Creative Writing at the School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, Newcastle University.[4]
In September 2013, Herbert was appointed as Dundee's first makar.[5]
Awards and honours edit
He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2015.[6]
Books edit
Poetry collections edit
- Dundee Doldrums (1991)
- The Testament of the Reverend Thomas Dick (1994)
- Cabaret McGonagall (1996)
- The Laurelude (1998)
- The Big Bumper Book of Troy (2002)
- Bad Shaman Blues (2006) [7]
- Three Men on the Metro, with Andy Croft and Paul Summers, Five Leaves (2009)[8]
- Omnesia (2013) [9]
- The Wreck of the Fathership (2020)
Literary criticism edit
- To Circumjack MacDiarmid (1992)
References edit
- ^ Lindsay, Maurice; Duncan, Lesley, eds. (2005), The Edinburgh Book of Twentieth-Century Scottish Poetry, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 385–386, ISBN 0-7486-2015-X
- ^ "Poetry: Poets A to Z: W. N. Herbert". Scottish Poetry Library. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- ^ Lister, David (13 January 1994). "New generation of writers presents poetry in motion: Some of today's best poetic talents tend to eschew writing of love". The Independent. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ "English Literature, Languages and Linguistics: Staff". Newcastle University. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- ^ Cowing, Emma (15 September 2013). "Dundee appoints WN Herbert as first maker". The Scotsman. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ "Current RSL Fellows". Royal Society of Literature. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ^ O’Brien, Sean (19 February 2006). "The secret weapon of his generation". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "Three Men on the Metro". P. N. Review 197. January 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ Kelly, Stuart (30 March 2013). "Book review: Omnesia by WN Herbert". The Scotsman.
External links edit
- Biography at the British Council
- Herbert's page at Newcastle University
- Professor Herbert's homepage
- Profile at Bloodaxe Books
- Profile at Scottish Poetry Library