John Fuller

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

(born 1 January 1937) is an English poet and author, and Fellow Emeritus at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

Biography

Fuller was born at

Ashford, Kent Ashford is a town in the county of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Great Stour at the southern or Escarpment, scarp edge of the North Downs, about southeast of central London and northwest of Folkestone by road. In the ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, the son of poet and Oxford Professor

Roy Fuller Roy Broadbent Fuller CBE (11 February 1912 – 27 September 1991) was an English writer, known mostly as a poet. He was born at Failsworth, Lancashire to lower-middle-class parents Leopold Charles Fuller and his wife Nellie (1888–1949; née ...

, and educated at St Paul's School and

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

. He began teaching in 1962 at the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...

, then continued at the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

. From 1966 to 2002 he was a Fellow and tutor of

; he is now Fellow Emeritus. Fuller has published 15 collections of poetry, including ''Stones and Fires'' (1996), ''Now and for a Time'' (2002), ''Song and Dance'' (2008) and the recent ''The Dice Cup'' (2014).

Chatto and Windus Chatto & Windus is an imprint of Penguin Random House that was formerly an independent book publishing company founded in London in 1855 by John Camden Hotten. Following Hotten's death, the firm would reorganize under the names of his business ...

published a Collected Poems in 1996. His novel ''Flying to Nowhere'' (1983), a historical fantasy, won the Whitbread First Novel Award, and was nominated for the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...

. In 1996 he won the Forward Prize for ''Stones and Fires'' and in 2006 the

Michael Braude Award for Light Verse The Michael Braude Award for Light Verse is a biennial award given for light verse in the English language, regardless of the author's nationality. It is presented by the American Academy of Arts and Letters and is accompanied by a $5,000 payment. M ...

. He has also written collections of short stories and several books for children. His poem ''Ship of Sounds'', illustrated with a wood engraving by the artist

Garrick Palmer Garrick Salisbury Palmer (born 20 September 1933 in Portsmouth) died 9 July 2023 in Portsmouth) was an English painter, wood engraver, photographer and teacher. Early life and education Palmer was born in Portsmouth, England and has always r ...

, was published in 1981 in an edition of 130 by

The Gruffyground Press ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. In 1968, John Fuller established the Sycamore Press, which he ran from his garage.Roberts, Ryan, ''John Fuller and the Sycamore Press''. Oxford: Bodleian Library, 2010. The Sycamore Press published some of the most influential and critically acclaimed poets of the latter half of the twentieth century, such as

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...

Philip Larkin Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, '' The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, '' Jill'' (1946) and '' A Girl in Winter'' (1 ...

and Peter Porter. In addition to these established authors, the Press sought to promote younger poets, many of whom have gone on to achieve great success. The Sycamore Press ceased operations in 1992, and is an excellent example of a British small press, publishing for motives other than profit. ''John Fuller and the Sycamore Press'' (Bodleian Library, 2010) includes an interview with John Fuller and personal reflections by Sycamore Press authors about Fuller, the press and the works it produced. The book also includes a bibliography of the pamphlets and broadsides Fuller produced. Fuller is a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

Poetry

*''Fairground Music'' (

Chatto & Windus Chatto & Windus is an imprint of Penguin Random House that was formerly an independent book publishing company founded in London in 1855 by John Camden Hotten. Following Hotten's death, the firm would reorganize under the names of his business ...

, 1961) *''The Tree that Walked'' (Chatto & Windus, 1967; Poetry Book Society Choice) *''Cannibals and Missionaries'' (

Secker & Warburg Harvill Secker is a British publishing company formed in 2005 from the merger of Secker & Warburg and the Harvill Press. History Secker & Warburg Secker & Warburg was formed in 1935 from a takeover of Martin Secker, which was in receivership, ...

, 1972) *''Epistles to Several Persons'' (Secker & Warburg, 1973; Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize) *''The Mountain and the Sea'' (Secker & Warburg, 1975) *''Lies and Secrets'' (Secker & Warburg, 1979) *''The Illusionists'' (Secker & Warburg, 1980; Southern Arts Literature Prize) *''Waiting for the Music'' (Salamander Press, 1982) *''The Beautiful Inventions'' (Secker and Warburg, 1983; Poetry Book Society Choice) *''Selected Poems 1954 to 1982'' (Secker & Warburg, 1985, and Penguin Books, 1986) *''Partingtime Hall'' (with

James Fenton James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, Salamander Press, 1987, and Penguin Books, 1989) *''Pillow Talk'' *''The Grey Among the Green'' *''The Mechanical Body'' *''Stones and Fires'' (1996) *''Now and for a Time'' (2002) *''Collected Poems'' *''The Solitary Life'' (

Clutag Press The Clutag Press was established in 2000 as a venture by Andrew McNeillie to issue Clutag Poetry Leaflets, by established and emerging poets. In 2004, it received backing from The Christopher Tower Fund (in association with Christ Church, Oxfo ...

, 2005) *''The Space of Joy'' (2006) *''Song and Dance'' (2008) *''The Dice Cup'' (2014)

Fiction

*''Flying to Nowhere'' (1983), winner of the Costa Book Awards First Novel and nominated for the

) *''The Adventures of Speedfall'' (1985) *''Tell It Me Again'' (1988) *''The Burning Boys'' (1989) *''Look Twice'' (1991) *''The Worm and the Star'' (1993) *''A Skin Diary'' (1997) *''The Memoirs of Laetitia Horsepole'' (2001) *''Loser'' (2020)

Criticism

*''A Reader's Guide to

'' (1970) *''The

Sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's invention, ...

'' *''

: A Commentary'' (1998) *''Who is Ozymandias? and other puzzles in poetry'' (2011)

For children

*''Herod Do Your Worst'' (1968) *''Squeaking Crust'' (1970) *''The Spider Monkey Uncle King'' *''The Last Bid'' *''The Extraordinary Wool Mill and other stories'' (1980) *''Come Aboard and Sail Away'' *''You're Having Me On!'' (2014)

As editor

*''The Chatto Book of Love Poetry'' *''The Dramatic Works of

John Gay John Gay (30 June 1685 – 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for ''The Beggar's Opera'' (1728), a ballad opera. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Peac ...

'' *''The

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Book of

Sonnets A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's inventio ...