Eric Mottram

Eric Mottram (1924-1995). Courtesy Reality Studio.

Eric Noel William Mottram (December 29, 1924 – January 16, 1995) was an English poet, academic, critic, and editor who was a central figure in the British Poetry Revival.

Life

Youth and education

Mottram was born in London and educated at Purley Grammar School, Croydon, and Blackpool Grammar School, Lancashire.

In 1943, he was awarded a scholarship to Pembroke College, Cambridge, but opted to serve in the Royal Navy instead, only taking up the scholarship in 1947. He graduated with honours in 1950, obtaining a first in both parts of the English Literature, Life and Thought tripos (Double First). [[Master of Arts (Oxbridge and Dublin)|M.A. in 1951.

Over the following decade, Mottram travelled extensively and worked as a lecturer at University of Zurich Switzerland, 1951-52, University of Malaya in Singapore, 1952-55 and as Professor at the University of Gröningen Netherlands, 1955-60.

King's College

In 1960, Mottram returned to London and took a post as Lecturer in English and American Literature at King's College London. At the time, King's was one of very few British universities to offer American studies, and Mottram was to prove a pioneer in the field. He co-founded the Institute of United States Studies in 1963, the same year in which his tenure as a lecturer at King's was confirmed. In 1973, became Reader in English and American Literature and a special Chair was created for him as professor in 1982. In September 1990 he retired with the title Emeritus Professor of English and American Literature.

Mottram and the Beat Generation

In the early 1960s, Mottram travelled to the United States and met a number of writers, including William Carlos Williams, Allen Ginsberg and others. He became friendly with William Burroughs during his time in London. These contacts resulted in three of Mottram's best-known critical books; William Burroughs: the algebra of need (1971, British edition 1977), Allen Ginsberg in the Sixties (1972) and Paul Bowles: staticity & terror (1976). These studies did much to help introduce the Beat writers to a wider British audience.

Mottram as poet

Mottram's debut collection of poetry, Inside the whale was published by Bob Cobbing's Writers Forum in 1970. He went on to publish at least another 34 collections, including A Book of Herne, 1975-1981; Elegies (both (1981); and Selected poems (1989).

An interview with Mottram appeared in the London based magazine Angel Exhaust, along with his poetry.

Mottram as editor

In 1971, Mottram was made editor of the Poetry Society's magazine Poetry Review. Over the next 6 years, he edited 20 issues that featured most, if not all, of the key poets associated with the British Poetry Revival and carried reviews of books and magazines from the wide range of small presses that had sprung up to publish them. Mottram also included work by a number of American poets, a fact that ultimately led to his removal from the post.

During this period, Mottram was twice a guest lecturer at Kent State University, where, along with Black Mountain poet Ed Dorn, he was an early supporter of the musical group Devo, and its founders Gerald Casale and Bob Lewis, whose poetry Mottram published when he was editor of the Poetry Review. He also edited The Rexroth Reader (1972) and the section of the 1988 anthology The New British Poetry that was given over to the poets associated with the Revival.

Writing

His work clearly shows the influence of the American avant-garde poets he admired, particularly in his use of techniques such as found poetry, cut-up technique and collage, but it also has a distinctly British quality in the tradition of Basil Bunting.

Publications

Poetry

• Inside the Whale. London: Writers Forum (Writers Forum Quarto no. 7), 1970.
• Shelter Island / The Remaining World. London: Turret Books, 1971.
• The He Expression. London: Aloes Books, 1973.
• Local Movement. London: Writers Forum, 1973.
• Kent Journal. privately published, 1974. (10 copies)
• Two Elegies. Hayes, Middlesex, UK: Poet & Peasant 1974; 2nd edition, 1976.
• Against Tyranny. Hayes: Middlesex, UK: Poet & Peasant, 1975.
• 1922 Earth Raids, and other poems. London: New London Pride, 1976.
• A Faithful Private. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Genera (13), 1976.
• Homage to Braque. London: Blacksuede Boot Press, 1976.
• Spring Ford. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Pig Press (Hasty Editions), 1977.
• Tunis. Sheffield, UK: Rivelin Press,1977.
• Precipice of Fishes. London: Writers Forum, 1979. (a set of cards)
• Windsor Forest: Bill Butler in memoriam. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Pig Press, 1979
• From Shadow Borders. Paris: Twisted Wrist, 1979.
• Mediate. Maidstone, Kent, UK: Zunne Heft, 1980.
• A Book of Herne, 1975-1981 Colne, Lancashire: Arrospire Press, 1981.
• Elegies. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Galloping Dog, 1981.
• Interrogation Rooms: Poems, 1980-1981. London: Spanner, 1982.
• Address (text handwritten & illuminated by Maria Makepeace). Gateshead, UK: Shadowcat, 1983.
• Three Letters. London: Spanner (Open Field no. 2), 1984.
• The Legal Poems: 29 December 1980 - 30 May 1981. Colne, Lancashire: Arrowsmith, 1986.
• Peace Projects & Brief Novels, 1986-1988. London: Talus Editions, 1989.
• Selected Poems.Twickenham, UK: North and South, 1989.
• Season of Monsters: Poems, 1989-1990. London: Writers Forum, 1991.
• Resistances: A homage to René Char. Sutton, UK: RWC (as RWC' '''9-10). 1991.
• Estuaries: Poems, 1989-91. Twickenham, Middlesex, UK: Solaris, 1992.
• Raise the Wind for Me: Poems for Basil Bunting (special issue of Staple Diet). Durham, UK: Pig Press, 1992.
• Time Sight Unseen. Buffalo, NY: State University of New York at Buffalo, 1993.
• Inheritance: Masks, book one: Poems 1993-1994. London: Writers Forum, 1994.
• Design Origins: Masks, book two: Poems, 1993-1994. Amra Imprint, Seaham, Co. Durham, UK: Amra Imprint, 1994.
• Double Your Stakes: Masks, book three. London: RWC, 1995.
• Periodical Contests: Masks, book four. Badninish, Sutherland:, UK Anarcho Press / St. Albans, Hertfordshire, UK: Mainstream, 1997.
• Hyerabad Depositions. Salzburg, Austria: University of Salzburg, 1997.
• Limits of Self-Regard. London: Talus Editions, King's College London, 1998.

Non-fiction

• American Studies in Europe (Mottram's inaugural lecture at Groningen University). Groningen, Netherlands, & Djakarta, Indonesia: J.B. Walters, 1955.
• Books on America: American literature. London & Wilmslow, UK: British Association for American Studies, 1968.
• William Burroughs: The algebra of need. Buffalo, NY: Intrepid Press, 1971; London: Marion Boyers, 1977.
  • revised as Algebra of Need: William Burroughs and the gods of death. London: Marion Boyars, 1992.
• William Faulkner. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971.
• Allen Ginsburg in the Sixties. Brighton, UK, & Seattle, WA: Unicorn Bookshop, 1972.
• Paul Bowles: Staticity and terror. London: Aloes Books, 1976.
• Towards Design in Poetry. London: Writers Forum, 1977.
• A Reading of Thomas Meyer's 'First Ten Years' (Occasional Paper no. 2) London: Reality Studios, 1985.
• Blood on the Nash Ambassador: Investigations in American culture (selected essays). London: Radius, 1989.
• Live All You Can: Interview and essay (edited by Peterjon Skelt). Twickenham, UK: Solaris, 1992.

Edited

• The Rexroth Reader. London: Cape,1972.
• Entrances to the Americas: Poetry, ecology, translation. London: Polytechnic of Central London, 1975.
• The Penguin Companion to Literature: USA and Latin America (edited with Malcolm Bradbury & Jean Franco). London: Allan Lane, 1971; Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin, 1971
  • published in U.S. as The Penguin Companion to American Literature. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971.

Letters

• The Unruly Garden: Robert Duncan and Eric Mottram, letters and essays (edited by Amy Evans; Shamoon Zamir). Oxford, UK, & New York: Peter Lang, 2007.

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy King's College, London.

See also

Eric Mottram reads at Shakespeare and Co, Paris

• List of British poets

References

• Eric Mottram dossier in T. Wignesan, Ed., The Journal of Comparative Poetics, Vol. I, N° 1 (Paris), Spring 1989, pp. 37-63 [includes article by Eric Mottram: "Notes on Poetics", Curriculum Vitae, Letter and three poems, and the complete Eric Mottram bibliography.]
• "From Space to Caves in the Heart: re-creating the collective world in Eric Mottram's poetry" by Clive Bush in T. Wignesan Ed., The Journal of Comparative Poietics, Vol. I, Nos. 2 & 3 (Paris)[includes a supplement to the Eric Mottram bibliography in Volume I, n° 1, JCP], pp. 47-68.

Fonds

• Eric Mottram archives at King's College

External links

Poetry

• Eric Mottram at the Poetry Foundation

Prose

"Ta'wil and Henry Corbin" by Eric Mottram" - (Corbin & Poetry #16)] at the Henry Corbin Project

Audio / video

• Eric Mottram at PennSound
• An interview and poetry reading, recorded in 1982, appears in My KPFA

Books

• Eric Mottram at Amazon.com

About

• Mottram homepage at Albany
• Professor Eric Mottram obituary at The Independent
• Towards Design in Poetry reviewed at Intercapillary Space