Kenneth White (born 28 April 1936) is a Scottish poet, academic and writer.

Biography

Kenneth White was born in the

Gorbals The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and employment opportun ...

area 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 ...

, Scotland, but he spent his childhood and adolescence at Fairlie near

Largs Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...

on the

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

coast, where his father worked as a railway signalman.Biography on Les Amis et Lecteurs de Kenneth White website
White obtained a

double first The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

in French and German from the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. From 1959 until 1963, White studied at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, where he obtained a state doctorate. White purchased "Gourgounel", an old farm in the

Ardèche Ardèche (; oc, Ardecha; frp, Ardecha) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.Pau, near the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

, in south-west France, where he lectured in English at the

University of Bordeaux The University of Bordeaux (French: ''Université de Bordeaux'') is a public university based in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It has several campuses in the cities and towns of Bordeaux, Dax, Gradignan, Périgueux, Pessac, and Ta ...

. White was expelled from the University after his involvement in the student protests of

May 1968 The following events occurred in May 1968: May 1, 1968 (Wednesday) *CARIFTA, the Caribbean Free Trade Association, was formally created as an agreement between Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. *RAF Strike Co ...

. After leaving the University of Bordeaux, White remained at Pau and lectured at the

University of Paris VII A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

from 1969 until 1983, when he left the Pyrenees for the north coast of

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

, and a new position as the chair of 20th century poetics at

Paris-Sorbonne Paris-Sorbonne University (also known as Paris IV; french: Université Paris-Sorbonne, Paris IV) was a public university, public research university in Paris, France, active from 1971 to 2017. It was the main inheritor of the Faculty of Humaniti ...

. In 1989, White founded the International Institute of Geopoetics to further promote research into the cross-cultural, transdisciplinary field of study which he had been developing during the previous decade. In October 2005, Kenneth White delivered a series of three lectures on the Geopoetics project in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The first, 'North Atlantic Investigations', was delivered at

Ullapool Ullapool (; gd, Ulapul ) is a village and port located in Northern Scotland. Ullapool has a population of around 1,500 inhabitants. It is located around northwest of Inverness in Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands. Despite its modest size, ...

, the second, 'Return to the Territory', was delivered at

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

, and the third, 'A Sense of High North', was delivered at

Kirkwall Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...

. Transcriptions of the three lectures were published in 2006 as a single volume titled ''On the Atlantic Edge''. White holds honorary doctorates from the University of Glasgow, 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 ...

and the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

. He is an honorary member of the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...

, and was recently appointed as a visiting professor at Scotland's

UHI Millennium Institute The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) is an integrated, tertiary institution encompassing both further and higher education. It is composed of 12 colleges and research institutions spread around the Highlands and Islands, Moray and Pe ...

. Kenneth White lives on the north coast of

with his wife Marie-Claude, who is a translator and photographer.

Bibliography

Poetry

*''Wild Coal''. Paris: Club des Étudiants d’Anglais (Sorbonne). (1963) *''En toute candeur''. Paris: Mercure de France. (1964) *''The Cold Wind of Dawn''. London:

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a London publishing firm founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death in 1960. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard set up the publishing house in 1921. They established a reputation ...

. (1966) *''The Most Difficult Area''. London: Cape Goliard. (1968) *''Scènes d'un monde flottant''. Lausanne: Alfred Eibel Editeur. (1976) *''Terre de diamant''. Lausanne: Alfred Eibel Editeur. (1977) *''Mahamudra''. Paris: Mercure de France. (1979) *''Ode fragmentée à la Bretagne blanche''. Bordeaux: Willim Blake & Co. (1980) *''Le Grand Rivage''. Paris: Nouveau Commerce. (1980) *''Le dernier voyage de Brandan''. Paris: Les Presses d'Aujourd'hui. (1981) *''Atlantica''. Paris: Grasset. (1986) *''L'anorak du goéland''. Rouen: L’Instant Perpétuel. (1986) *''The Bird Path: Collected Longer Poems''. Edinburgh and London: Mainstream. (1989) *''Handbook for the Diamond Country, Collected Shorter Poems 1960–1990''. Edinburgh and London: Mainstream. (1990) *''Les Rives du silence''. Paris: Mercure de France. (1998) *''Limites et marges''. Paris: Mercure de France. (2000) *''Open World: Collected Poems 1960–2000''. Edinburgh: Polygon. (2003) *''Le passage extérieur''. Paris: Mercure de France. (2005) *''Les archives du littoral''. Paris: Mercure de France. (2011)

Prose

*''Letters from Gourgounel''. London: Jonathan Cape. (1966) *''Les Limbes Incandescentes''. Paris: Denoël. (1976) *''Derives''. Paris: Denoël. (1978) *''L'Ecosse''. Paris: Flammarion. (1980) *''Le Visage du Vent d'Est''. Paris: Les Presses d'Aujourd'hui. (1980) *''La Route Bleue''. Paris: Grasset. (1983) *''Travels in the Drifting Dawn''. Edinburgh and London: Mainstream. (1989) *''Les Cygnes sauvages''. Paris: Grasset. (1990) *''Pilgrim of the Void''. Edinburgh and London: Mainstream. (1992) *''House of Tides: Letters from Brittany and Other Lands of the West''. Edinburgh: Polygon. (2000) *''Across the Territories''. Edinburgh: Polygon. (2004) *''Le Rôdeur des confins''. Paris: Albin Michel. (2006) *''La Carte de Guido''. Paris: Albin Michel. (2011) *
The Fundamental Field
' (with

Jeff Malpas Jeff Malpas is an Australian philosopher and emeritus distinguished professor at the University of Tasmania in Hobart. Known internationally for his work across the analytic and continental traditions, Malpas is also at the forefront of contem ...

). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press (2021).

Essays

*''The Tribal Dharma''. Carmarthen: Unicorn Bookshop. (1975) *''The Coast opposite Humanity''. Carmarthen: Unicorn Bookshop. (1975) *''Approches du Monde Blanc''. Paris: Nouveau Commerce. (1976) *''The Life-technique of

John Cowper Powys John Cowper Powys (; 8 October 187217 June 1963) was an English philosopher, lecturer, novelist, critic and poet born in Shirley, Derbyshire, where his father was vicar of the parish church in 1871–1879. Powys appeared with a volume of verse ...

". Swansea: Galloping Dog Press. (1978) *''Segalen, Théorie et Pratique du Voyage''. Lausanne: Alfred Eibel. (1979) *''La Figure du dehors''. Paris: Grasset. (1982) *''Letter from North

Armorica Armorica or Aremorica (Gaulish: ; br, Arvorig, ) is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic Coast ...

'', in Hearn, Sheila G. (ed.), ''

Cencrastus ''Cencrastus'' was a magazine devoted to Scottish and international literature, arts and affairs, founded after the Referendum of 1979 by students, mainly of Scottish literature at Edinburgh University, and with support from Cairns Craig, then a ...

'' No. 16, Spring 1984, pp. 2 - 4, *''Une apocalypse tranquille''. Paris: Grasset. (1985) *''Zen and the Birds of

Kentigern Kentigern ( cy, Cyndeyrn Garthwys; la, Kentigernus), known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow. Name In Wales and England, this s ...

'', in Parker, Geoff (ed.), ''

'' No. 23, Summer 1986, pp. 3 - 7, *''L'esprit Nomade''. Paris: Grasset. (1987) *''Le Poète Cosmographe"''. Presses Universitaires de Bordeaux. (1987) *''Le Monde d'

Antonin Artaud Antoine Marie Joseph Paul Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud (; 4 September 1896 – 4 March 1948), was a French writer, poet, dramatist, visual artist, essayist, actor and theatre director. He is widely recognized as a major figure of the E ...

"''. Bruxelles: Complexe. (1989) *''Le Chant du Grand Pays"''. Nimes: Terriers (1989) *''Hokusai ou l'Horizon Sensible''. Paris: Terrain Vague. (1990) *''Le Plateau de l’albatros: Introduction à la géopoétique''. Paris: Grasset. (1994) *''Le Lieu et la Parole''. Cleguer: Editions du Scorff. (1997) *''Une Strategie Paradoxale"''. Presses Universitaires de Bordeaux. (1998) *''Les Finisterres de l'Esprit''. Cleguer: Editions du Scorff. (1998) *''On Scottish Ground''. Edinburgh: Polygon. (1998) *''Le Champ du Grand Travail"''. Bruxelles: Didier Devillez. (2003) *''The Wanderer and His Charts''. Edinburgh: Polygon. (2004) *''L'Ermitage des Brumes''. Paris: Dervy. (2005) *''On the Atlantic Edge''. Sandstone. (2006) *''Dialogue avec Deleuze''. Paris: Isolato. (2007) *''Les Affinités Extremes''. Paris: Albin Michel. (2009)

Interviews (Collected)

''Coast to Coast''. Glasgow, Open World and Mythic Horse Press, 1996.

Translations

*''Showing the Way, a Hmong Initiation of the Dead''. Bangkok, Pandora, 1983. *''André Breton, Selected Poems''. London, Jonathan Cape, 1969 *''André Breton, Ode to Charles Fourier''. London, Cape Goliard Press, 1969.

Recorded poetry

* ''Into the White World''. two cassettes of poetry readings, Scotsoun, 13 Ashton Rd, Glasgow G12 8SP, 1992.

Reviews

* review of '' St. Kilda's Parliament'' by

Douglas Dunn Douglas Eaglesham Dunn, OBE (born 23 October 1942) is a Scottish poet, academic, and critic. He is Professor of English and Director of St Andrew's Scottish Studies Institute at St Andrew's University. Background Dunn was born in Inchinnan, Re ...

, in Murray, Glen (ed.), ''

'' No. 8, Spring 1982, pp.44 & 45,

Awards

* 1983

Prix Médicis étranger Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who als ...

for ''La Route bleue'' * 1985

French Academy French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

's Grand Prix du Rayonnement * 1987 Prix Alfred de Vigny for ''Atlantica''''Travels in the Drifting Dawn'' Dust-jacket notes.

References

* * *

Notes

External links

The International Institute of GeopoeticsThe Scottish Centre for GeopoeticsLes Amis et Lecteurs de Kenneth White

Short biography of Kenneth White on the Open University website
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Kenneth French people of Scottish descent Scottish emigrants to France 1936 births Writers from Glasgow Scottish expatriates in France University of Paris alumni Academic staff of the University of Bordeaux Academic staff of the University of Paris Scottish travel writers Living people Scottish poets Prix Médicis étranger winners People from Fairlie, North Ayrshire