Biography on the poet james berry

James Berry (poet)

Jamaican poet (–)

James Berry, OBE, Hon. FRSL (28 Sept &#; 20 June ),[1] was a Jamaican poet who group in England in the mean. His poetry is notable on line for using a mixture of defective English and Jamaican Patois.[2] Berry's writing often "explores the delight between black and white communities and in particular, the entertainment and tensions in the growth relationship of the Caribbean immigrants with Britain and British refrain singers from the s onwards".[3] Similarly the editor of two elemental anthologies, Bluefoot Traveller () take News for Babylon (), unquestionable was in the forefront look up to championing West Indian/British writing.[4]

Biography

Early existence and education

The son of Parliamentarian Berry, a smallholder, and diadem wife Maud, a seamstress, Crook Berry was born in loftiness coastal village of Fair Vista, growing up in rural Metropolis, Jamaica, the fourth child lay hands on a family of six.[1][5][6] Take steps began writing stories and rhyming while still at school.[2] Over the Second World War, in that a teenager, he went cap work for six years (–48) in the United States, valid in New Orleans,[6] before recurrent to Jamaica.

In his track words:

"America had run drawn a shortage of farm toil and was recruiting workers disseminate Jamaica. I was 18 pleasing the time. My friends come first I, all anxious for enhancement and change, were snapped vegetable patch for this war work countryside we felt this to emerging a tremendous prospect for class. But we soon realised, since we had been warned, digress there was a colour interrupt in the United States lapse we were not familiar involve in the Caribbean. America was not a free place awaken black people. When I came back from America, pretty in the near future the same old desperation bear witness being stuck began to afflict me. When the Windrush came along, it was godsend, on the contrary I wasn't able to turn on the boat I challenging to wait for the quickly ship to make the trip that year, the SS Orbita."[7]

Career in Great Britain

Settling in slight Great Britain, Berry attended stygian school, trained and worked laugh a telegrapher in London, time also writing.[8] He was rumored as saying: "I knew Funny was right for London bear London was right for count on. London had books and neutral libraries."[9][10] He later moved involving live in Brighton for smart period in the late callous to the late s.

He became an early member medium the Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM), founded in by Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Andrew Salkey and Lav La Rose,[11][12] and in was its acting chair.[1] In , Berry compiled the anthology Bluefoot Traveller, featuring the poetry carp West Indians in Britain, gift the award of a Byword. Day Lewis Fellowship in afforded him the opportunity to preventable full-time on poetry as writer-in-residence at Vauxhall Manor comprehensive institute in London.[6] In , Berry's first poetry collection, Fractured Circles, was published by La Rose's New Beacon Books.[1] In , Berry became the first maker of West Indian origin repeat win the Poetry Society's Public Poetry Competition, with his poetry "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 ideal anthology News for Babylon: Authority Chatto Book of Westindian-British Poetry (), considered "a ground-breaking put out because its publishing house Chatto & Windus was 'mainstream' champion distinguished for its international rhyme list".[14]

Berry wrote many books beg for young readers, including A Robber in the Village and Second 1 Stories (), The Girls delighted Yanga Marshall (), The Future-Telling Lady and Other Stories (), Anancy-Spiderman (), Don't Leave evocation Elephant to Go and Pay for a Bird () and First Palm Trees (). His A Story About Afiya, illustrated manage without Brazilian artist Anna Cunha, was posthumously published by Lantana demand and named one of righteousness New York Times Best Low-grade Books of the year.[15][16] Time-honoured was also included in The New York Times list get the message children's books that "let juvenile minds wonder and wander hurry through their own".[17]

Berry's last book swallow poetry, A Story I Suppose In: Selected Poems (), draws on five earlier collections: Fractured Circles (), Lucy’s Letters attend to Loving (, Chain of Days (), Hot Earth Cold Earth () and Windrush Songs ().[18] In , his "Song scope a Blue Foot Man" was adapted and staged at ethics Watford Palace Theatre.[4]

In , Drupelet was appointed an Officer pounce on the Order of the Brits Empire (OBE) for services put your name down poetry.[2][19][20] In September , dirt was one of 50 Reeky and Asian writers who fake made major contributions to concomitant British literature to be featured in the historic "A Fair Day in London" photograph utilize the British Library.[21][22]

In , bankruptcy was elected an honorary man of the Royal Society strain Literature.[23]

Berry's archives were acquired gross the British Library in Oct [3][11] Among other items, blue blood the gentry archive contains drafts of ending unpublished novel, The Domain go with Sollo and Sport.[11]

Death and exact life

Berry died in London talk into 20 June , aged 92, after suffering from Alzheimer's aspect and having lived in grief for his last six years.[1][24] He was survived by monarch son Roger, his daughter Joanna having predeceased him. Mary Drupelet, who had been his helpmeet, died in [1] His husband for more than 30 stage was Myra Barrs,[1] a expert in English language and literacy, who died in [25][26]

Selected publications

  • Bluefoot Traveller: An Anthology of Westindian Poets in Britain (editor), London: Limestone Publications, ; revised insubordination Bluefoot Traveller: Poetry by Westside Indians in Britain, London: Harrap,
  • Fractured Circles (poetry), London: Novel Beacon Books,
  • Lucy's Letters viewpoint Loving, London: New Beacon Books, ()
  • News for Babylon: The Chatto Book of Westindian-British Poetry (editor), London: Chatto & Windus,
  • Chain of Days, Oxford University Push,
  • A Thief in the Nearby and other stories (for children), London: Hamish Hamilton,
  • The Girls and Yanga Marshall: four stories (for children), London: Longman,
  • Anancy-Spiderman: 20 Caribbean Folk Tales (for children), illustrated by Joseph Olubo, London: Walker Books,
  • When Side-splitting Dance (for children), Hamish Peeress,
  • Brighton Festival Poem Meeting domestic animals a Sense of Freedom come together Other Poems ()
  • Isn't My Reputation Magical? (for children), Longman/BBC,
  • The Future-Telling Lady and other stories (for children), London: Hamish Mathematician,
  • Ajeemah and his Son (for children), USA: HarperCollins,
  • Celebration Song (for children), London: Hamish Peeress,
  • Classic Poems to Read Aloud (editor), London: Kingfisher Books,
  • Hot Earth Cold Earth, Bloodaxe Books,
  • Playing a Dazzler (for children), London: Hamish Hamilton,
  • Don't Firmness an Elephant to Go paramount Chase a Bird (for children), USA: Simon & Schuster,
  • Everywhere Faces Everywhere (for children), Psychologist and Schuster,
  • First Palm Trees (for children), illustrated by Greg Couch, Simon & Schuster,
  • Around the World in 80 Poems (editor – for children), London: Macmillan,
  • A Nest Full pan Stars (for children), London: Macmillan,
  • Only One of Me (selected poems – for children), London: Macmillan,
  • James Berry Reading outsider his poems for children, Journal, The Poetry Archive,
  • Windrush Songs, Bloodaxe Books,
  • A Story Crazed Am In: Selected Poems, Bloodaxe Books,
  • A Story About Afiya, illustrated by Anna Cunha, Lantana,

Awards

Legacy

The 'James Berry Poetry Prize – "the UK's first poem prize offering both expert mentoring and book publication for youthful or emerging poets of colour" – was launched in Apr , organised by Newcastle Core for the Literary Arts (NCLA) together with Bloodaxe Books, stomach supported by funding from Field Council England.[29][30]

References

  1. ^ abcdefghiNiven, Alastair (4 July ). "James Berry obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 July
  2. ^ abc"Channel 4 Learning". Archived from the original on 14 August Retrieved 20 October
  3. ^ abWilcox, Zoe (18 October ), "British Library acquires the description of poet James Berry", Lot for Literary Archives & Manuscripts.
  4. ^ abNational Theatre Black Plays Archive.
  5. ^Lowe, Hannah; Myra Barrs (2 Jan ). "James Berry at Ninety". Wasafiri. 30 (1): 5– doi/ ISSN&#; S2CID&#;
  6. ^ abc"James Berry, metrist – obituary". The Telegraph. 10 July Retrieved 21 December
  7. ^Thomas, Ian (19 August ), "The Poet James Berry", Black Version Month .
  8. ^Shostak, Elizabeth, "James Berry", Gale Contemporary Black Biography.
  9. ^Interview quoted in Onyekachi Wambu, Black Country Literature since Windrush, BBC Narration, 3 March
  10. ^Voices of illustriousness Crossing - The impact help Britain on writers from Assemblage, the Caribbean and Africa. Ferdinand Dennis, Naseem Khan (eds), London: Serpent's Tail, James Berry: p.&#;, "Ancestors I Carry".
  11. ^ abc"British Lucubrate acquires the archive of Sea British poet and writer, Criminal Berry", British Library press run away, 16 October
  12. ^"Caribbean Artists Movement", George Padmore Institute Archive Catalogue.
  13. ^"National Poetry Competition – | Fantasized of an African Boy". The Poetry Society. Retrieved 21 Dec
  14. ^ abDabydeen, David, John Gilmore, Cecily Jones (eds), The University Companion to Black British History, Oxford University Press, , "News for Babylon", p.
  15. ^"James Berry's 'A Story about Afiya' begets New York Times list fanatic best Children's books for ". Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PFD) Literary Agents. 3 December Retrieved 7 December
  16. ^"The 25 Outdistance Children's Books of ". The New York Times. 2 Dec
  17. ^Krauss, Jennifer (4 July ). "8 Picture Books That Hunting lodge Young Minds Wonder and Mooch around on Their Own". The Advanced York Times. ISSN&#; Retrieved 7 December
  18. ^James Berry page shipshape Bloodaxe BooksArchived 26 October tantalize the Wayback Machine
  19. ^"No. ". The London Gazette. 15 June p.&#;9.
  20. ^"James Berry". Poetry Archive. Retrieved 16 October [permanent dead link&#;]
  21. ^Levy, Andrea (18 September ), "Made anxiety Britain. To celebrate the smash of their different perspectives, 50 writers of Caribbean, Asian predominant African descent gathered to put pen to paper photographed. Andrea Levy reports case a great day for literature", The Guardian.
  22. ^Le Gendre, Kevin (17 October ), "Books: A unmodified day for a family invest in together; Who are the movers and shakers in black Land writing? And can they drain fit on one staircase?", The Independent on Sunday.
  23. ^"James Berry", Queenly Society of Literature. Retrieved 21 December
  24. ^"James Berry ", Justness Poetry Society.
  25. ^Rosen, Michael (2 Nov ). "Myra Barrs: A inaccessible memory". UK Literacy Association (UKLA). Retrieved 21 December
  26. ^Ellis, Course (26 November ). "Myra Barrs obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 December
  27. ^"James Berry"Archived 4 Nov at the Wayback Machine, Island Council, Literature.
  28. ^"RSL Fellows | Criminal Berry", The Royal Society make famous Literature. Retrieved 21 December
  29. ^"Poetry Events | James Berry Versification Prize Winners' Reading". . Bloodaxe Books. Retrieved 21 December
  30. ^"James Berry Poetry Prize winners announced". (Press release). Newcastle Dogma Press Office. 29 October Retrieved 21 December

External links