James Campbell (born 5 June 1951) is a Scottish writer.
Early life
James Campbell was born in
Croftfoot
Croftfoot ( sco, Croaftfuit, gd, Bun a' Chroit)
, on the southside of
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. He left school at the age of fifteen to become an apprentice printer. After hitchhiking through Europe, Israel and North Africa, he studied to gain acceptance to the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
(1974–78).
Career
On graduating, he immediately became editor of the ''
New Edinburgh Review'' (1978–82).
His first book, ''Invisible Country: A Journey Through Scotland'', was published in 1984. Two years later, Campbell published ''Gate Fever'', "based on a year's acquaintance with the prisoners and staff of
Lewes Prison's C Wing".
Between 1991 and 1999, he wrote three books linked in theme: ''Talking at the Gates'', ''Paris Interzone: Richard Wright, Lolita, Boris Vian and Others on the Left Bank'', and ''This Is the Beat Generation: New York, San Francisco, Paris''. In 1993, Campbell's one-man play, ''The Midnight Hour'', about a night in the life of
James Baldwin, was staged at the Freedom Theatre,
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, with Reggie Montgomery in the role of Baldwin.
A revised edition of ''Talking at the Gates'', with a new introduction and an interview with
Norman Mailer about Baldwin, was published in 2021.
For many years, Campbell worked for the
''Times Literary Supplement''. Between 1998 and 2020, he wrote the weekly NB column on the back page of the TLS, under the pen-name "J.C.". As a writer for the ''Guardian'' in the first decade of the present century, he wrote some fifty profiles of literary figures, including
Ian Hamilton Finlay
Ian Hamilton Finlay, CBE (28 October 1925 – 27 March 2006) was a Scottish poet, writer, artist and gardener.
Life
Finlay was born in Nassau, Bahamas, to James Hamilton Finlay and his wife, Annie Pettigrew, both of Scots descent.
He was e ...
,
Shirley Hazzard
Shirley Hazzard (30 January 1931 – 12 December 2016) was an Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. She was born in Australia and also held U.S. citizenship.
Hazzard's 1970 novel '' The Bay of Noon'' was shortlisted ...
,
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...
,
Gary Snyder and
John Updike.
Personal life
Campbell lives in London. His memoir, ''Just Go Down to the Road: A Memoir of Trouble and Travel'', was published in Britain and the US in May 2022.
Bibliography
* ''Invisible Country: A Journey Through Scotland'' (1984)
* ''Gate Fever: Voices from a Prison'' (1986)
* ''Talking at the Gates: A Life of James Baldwin'' (1991)
* ''Paris Interzone: Richard Wright, Lolita, Boris Vian and Others on the Left Bank'' (1994)
**''
Exiled in Paris: Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Samuel Beckett and Others on the Left Bank'' (US edition of above title, 1995)
* ''The Picador Book of Blues and Jazz,'' editor (1995)
* ''This Is the Beat Generation: New York, San Francisco, Paris'' (1999)
* ''Thom Gunn in Conversation with James Campbell'' (2000)
* ''Syncopations: Beats, New Yorkers, and Writers in the Dark'' (2008)
* ''Just Go Down to the Road'' (2022)
References
1951 births
Living people
Writers from Glasgow
Scottish biographers
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Scottish magazine editors
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