Donald Carroll (12 December 1940 – 30 December 2010) was an American author, editor, poet,

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...

and

humourist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business ...

Early life

Born in Dallas, Texas, in 1940, he was educated at the University of Texas, where he founded the poetry quarterly ''Quagga'' – which published the work of Richard Wilbur,

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 ...

, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and

Robert Creeley Robert White Creeley (May 21, 1926 – March 30, 2005) was an American poet and author of more than sixty books. He is usually associated with the Black Mountain poets, though his verse aesthetic diverged from that school. He was close with Char ...

, among others – and at Trinity College Dublin, where he founded ''The Dubliner'', a literary magazine, and edited the anthology, ''New Poets of Ireland''. While at Trinity his own poems were widely published and earned an invitation from

T.S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National B ...

to visit him in London.

Editor and publisher

Carroll moved to London in 1964 and after a brief spell as a

literary agent A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers, film producers, and film studios, and assists in sale and deal negotiation. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwrit ...

, during which he met Quentin Crisp and worked closely with him in producing '' The Naked Civil Servant'', he set up his own publishing house in 1966. The firm's first two books, ''

The Liverpool Scene The Liverpool poets are a number of influential 1960s poets from Liverpool, England, influenced by 1950s Beat poetry The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced America ...

'', which introduced the "

Liverpool poets The Liverpool poets are a number of influential 1960s poets from Liverpool, England, influenced by 1950s Beat poetry. They were involved in the 1960s Liverpool scene that gave rise to The Beatles. Their work is characterised by its directness of ...

", and '' The Wife of Martin Guerre'', made an immediate impact. By the end of the company's first year, its list of authors included Robert Bly,

Brigid Brophy Brigid Antonia Brophy, Lady Levey (12 June 19297 August 1995) was a British writer and campaigner for social reforms, including the rights of authors, and animal rights. The first of her seven novels was ''Hackenfeller's Ape'' (1953), a story c ...

, Dick Clement and

Ian La Frenais Ian La Frenais (born 7 January 1937) is an English writer best known for his creative partnership with Dick Clement. They are most famous for television series including ''The Likely Lads'', ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'', ''Porridg ...

, James Dickey, Adrian Henri, Michael Levey, Edward Lucie-Smith, Roger McGough, Charles Osborne,

Brian Patten Brian Patten (born 7 February 1946) is an English poet and author. He came to prominence in the 1960s as one of the Liverpool poets, and writes primarily lyrical poetry about human relationships. His famous works include "Little Johnny's Confessio ...

and Ralph Steadman. The London ''Evening Standard'' declared Carroll to be, at 26, "one of the British publishing world's most important and successful figures".

Columnist and humourist

After a disagreement over editorial policy with his firm's German backer, he left publishing in 1968 to become a columnist, producing four national newspaper and magazine columns in addition to his own newsletter, ''The Fifth Column''. In 1972 he returned to the US, living first in Los Angeles and then in New York, where he continued his columns for the London ''Evening News'' and ''Books and Bookmen''. Over the next few years he also conducted a series of highly acclaimed interviews (with Prime Minister

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...

, Kenneth Tynan, Malcolm Muggeridge,

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi- abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. As well as sculpture, Moore produced ...

among others) for the Xerox Education Group, which were collected in a book, ''The Donald Carroll Interviews''. In addition he wrote several humorous books, including '' Doing It with Style'', in which he revived his collaboration with Quentin Crisp.

Recent years

In 1984 he returned briefly to England, before moving to Greece and then settling in Turkey, where he built a house at the tip of the Bodrum peninsula.See "Writers Wining and Dining at Arsipel", ''Bodrum Observer'', 23 June 2006. Here he wrote the first of his travel books, the award-winning '' Insider's Guide to Turkey'', as well as numerous articles for publications in England and America. It was also here that he became fascinated with the excavations at

Ephesus Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in t ...

, an interest that led eventually to his book ''Mary’s House'', which established his reputation as the world's leading expert on the history and discovery of the House of the Virgin Mary at

Death

From 1997 he lived in Southwest France, where he died on 30 December 2010.

Selected bibliography

*''New Poets of Ireland'' (1963), editor *''Art of the Romantic Era'' by

Marcel Brion Marcel Brion (; 21 November 1895 – 23 October 1984) was a French essayist, literary critic, novelist, and historian. Early life The son of a lawyer, Brion was classmates in Thiers with Marcel Pagnol and Albert Cohen. After completing his ...

(1966), translator *''The Donald Carroll Interviews'' (1973), *''Four's Company'' (1973) interviews; *''Movements in Modern Art'' (1973), with Edward Lucie-Smith *''Dear Sir, Drop Dead!: Hate Mail Through the Ages'' (1979), editor, *''Why Didn't I Say That?: The Art of Verbal Self-Defence'' (1980), *''Doing It with Style'' (1981), with Quentin Crisp *''The Best Excuse'' (1983), *''The Insider's Guide to Turkey'' (1990), *''The Insider's Guide to Florida'' (1991), *''The Insider's Guide to Eastern Canada'' (1993), *''The Insider's Guide to Western Canada'' (1994), *''Resident Alien: The New York Diaries'' by Quentin Crisp (1996), editor, *''Mary's House: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Discovery of the House Where the Virgin Mary Lived and Died'' (2000), *''Surprised by France'' (2005),

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carroll, Donald American expatriates in France British publishers (people) American male poets 1940 births 2010 deaths 20th-century American poets 20th-century American male writers 20th-century British businesspeople