Anthony Joseph in 2011. Photo by Bonuggy. Licensed under Creative Commons, courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Anthony Joseph (born 1966) is an English poet, novelist, musician, and lecturer.
Life[]
Youth and education[]
Joseph was born in Trinidad, and was raised by his grandparents. He began writing as a young child and cites his main influences as calypso music, surrealism, jazz, the spiritual Baptist church that his grandparents attended, and the rhythms of Caribbean speech.
Joseph has lived in the United Kingdom since 1989. He earned an M.A. in creative writing from Goldsmiths College, University of London[1].
Career[]
In September 2004 he was chosen by Renaissance One and the Arts Council England as one of 50 Black and Asian writers who have made major contributions to contemporary British literature, appearing in the historic "A Great Day in London" photograph and performing at the event at the British Library.[2]
In April 2005, Joseph served as the British Council's 1st poet in residence at California State University, Los Angeles.[1]
In 2006 Joseph received an Arts Council award to conduct a reading tour of the UK in support of his debut novel, The African Origins of UFOs. In 2007, the tour continued to Europe with a 10-city tour of Germany and readings in the US.
Joseph also performs and records with his band The Spasm Band. His debut album with the band, Leggo de Lion, was released in April 2007 by Kindred Spirits.
Joseph's 3rd collection of poetry, Bird Head Son, was published by Salt Publishing in February 2009, coinciding with the release of his 2nd album with The Spasm Band, also called Bird Head Son. The album was recorded over 2 days in Meudon, France, with guests including Keziah Jones, Joseph Bowie and vibraphonist David Neerman.
Joseph's 3rd album with the Spasm Band, Rubber Orchestras, was released in August 2011. His 4th poetry collection, also entitled Rubber Orchestras, was published by Salt Publishing in November 2011.
Writing[]
His debut novel The African Origins of UFOs, was published by Salt Publishing in November 2006. Described as an "afro-psychedelic-noir, a poetic work of metafiction, mythology and afro-futurism",(Citation needed) the book was endorsed by Kamau Brathwaite, Linton Kwesi Johnson, and Lauri Ramey, who hailed it in her introduction as "a future fiction classic". Reviewing the book, Ali Alizadeh called Joseph "both a faithful heir and an agnostic rebel; a Black poet haunted by Africa's past as well as a bilingual post-modernist amused by the possibilities of the future. Contemporary literature doesn't come a lot more sophisticated and intriguing than this."[3]
Recognition[]
His novel Kitch was shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, and longlisted for the 2019 OCM Bocas Prize.[4]
Publications[]
Poetry[]
- Teragaton. London: Poison Engine Press, 1997, 2005.[5] ISBN 0-9524152-1-6
- Desafinado. London: Poison Engine Press, 2005. ISBN 0-95241-52-0-8
- Selected Poems. Cambridge, UK: Salt, 2008.[1]
- Bird, Head, Son. Cambridge, UK: Salt, 2009. ISBN 1-84471-435-7
- Rubber Orchestras. Cambridge, UK: Salt, 2011. ISBN 1-84471-819-0
Novels[]
- The African Origins of UFOs. Cambridge, UK: Salt, 2006. ISBN 1-84471-272-9
- Kitch: A fictional biography of a calypso icon. Leeds, UK: Peepal Tree, 2018.
- The Frequency of Magic. Leeds, UK: Peepal Tree, 2019.
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[6]
Audio / video[]
Anthony Joseph - shine
Discography[]
- Rubber Orchestras, 2011
- Bird Head Son, 2009
- Leggo de Lion, 2007
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Anthony Joseph, British Council. Web, 25 January 25, 2011.
- ↑ Andrea Levy, "Made in Britain. To celebrate the impact of their different perspectives, 50 writers of Caribbean, Asian and African descent gathered to be photographed. Andrea Levy reports on a great day for literature", The Guardian, 18 September 2004.
- ↑ Ali Alizadeh reviews Anthony Joseph, Cordite Poetry Review, 8 March 2007.
- ↑ Anthony Joseph, Peepal Tree Press. Web, Aug. 6, 2020.
- ↑ Teregaton, AnthonyJoseph.com. Web, Oct. 13, 2014.
- ↑ Search results = au:Anthony Joseph 1966, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Oct. 13, 2014.
External links[]
- Poems
- "Conductors of His Mystery" at Poetry by Heart
- Two poems by Anthony Joseph in the Caribbean Review of Books
- Anthony Joseph (Trinidad 1966) at Poetry International (5 poems)
- Audio / video
- Books
- Anthony Joseph at Amazon.com
- About
- Anthony Joseph at the British Council
- Anthony Joseph at Peepal Tree Press
- Anthony Joseph Official website
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