Roy Anthony "Tony" McNeill (1941 – 2 January 1996) was a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n poet, considered one of the most promising West Indian writers of his generation, whose career was cut short by his early death.

Biography

McNeill was born in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

and educated at Excelsior School and St. George's College (where he was already known to his friends as a poet) before leaving to study in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He studied creative writing at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

and the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

, from which he graduated with a PhD. He returned to Jamaica in 1975, where he worked as a journalist and assistant editor of the ''

Jamaica Journal The ''Jamaica Journal'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Institute of Jamaica. It publishes scholarly articles on the history, natural history, art, literature, music, and culture of Jamaica. Its predecessor was the ''Journal ...

'' (1975–81), as well as in a variety of other jobs, including civil servant, encyclopedia salesman, and janitor. While a student in the US, McNeill began writing seriously. His first major collection of poems, ''Reel from "The Life Movie"'', appeared in 1972 and immediately established his reputation in Jamaica alongside his contemporaries Dennis Scott and

Mervyn Morris Mervyn Eustace Morris OM (born 21 February 1937) is a poet and professor emeritus at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. According to educator Ralph Thompson, "In addition to his poetry, which has ranked him among the top West In ...

. This was followed by ''Credences at the Altar of Cloud'' (1979) and ''Chinese Lanterns from the Blue Child'', published posthumously in 1998. Other significant work remains unpublished. McNeill was known for his experimental style, influenced by contemporary

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

as well as American poets like

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massach ...

, and

E. E. Cummings Edward Estlin Cummings, who was also known as E. E. Cummings, e. e. cummings and e e cummings (October 14, 1894 - September 3, 1962), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright. He wrote approximately 2,900 poems, two autobi ...

. He once said, of his first collection, "I don't think I could write if my first concern wasn't for the aesthetic." He also claimed that his greatest ambition was to be a jazz pianist. He was recognised by his peers as a prodigious talent, but McNeill was plagued by alcoholism and drug abuse. In one of his later poems he wrote, "I realised very early I had no gift for conducting a life. So I shifted my focus and sang a wreath." He died while undergoing surgery at the

University Hospital of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the ...

on 2 January 1996. In an obituary essay, poet and literary scholar

wrote: "We have lost one of the finest of our West Indian poets, an extreme talent, recklessly experimental, awesome in commitment to his gift."

External links

*Elaine Savory
Review of ''Chinese Lanterns from the Blue Child''McNeill page
at Peepal Tree Press website {{DEFAULTSORT:McNeill, Anthony 1941 births 1996 deaths 20th-century Jamaican male singers University of the West Indies alumni University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni People educated at St. George's College, Jamaica

Biography

Further reading

External links