Alfred Alvarez (5 August 1929 – 23 September 2019) was an English poet, novelist, essayist and critic who published under the name A. Alvarez and Al Alvarez.

Background

Alfred Alvarez was born in London, to an

Ashkenazic Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

mother and a father from a

Sephardic Jewish Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefar ...

family. He was educated at The Hall School in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

, London, and then

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...

and

Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College (formally, Corpus Christi College in the University of Oxford; informally abbreviated as Corpus or CCC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1517, it is the 12th ...

, where he took a First in English. He was subsequently elected as a Jane Eliza Procter Visiting Fellow at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

. After teaching briefly in

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 ...

and the United States, he became a full-time writer in his late twenties. From 1956 to 1966, he was the poetry editor and critic for ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'', where he introduced British readers to

John Berryman John Allyn McAlpin Berryman (born John Allyn Smith, Jr.; October 25, 1914 – January 7, 1972) was an American poet and scholar. He was a major figure in American poetry in the second half of the 20th century and is considered a key figure in th ...

Robert Lowell Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV (; March 1, 1917 – September 12, 1977) was an American poet. He was born into a Boston Brahmin family that could trace its origins back to the ''Mayflower''. His family, past and present, were important subjects i ...

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, ''The ...

Zbigniew Herbert Zbigniew Herbert (; 29 October 1924 – 28 July 1998) was a Polish poet, essayist, drama writer and moralist. He is one of the best known and the most translated post-war Polish writers. While he was first published in the 1950s (a volume title ...

, and

Miroslav Holub Miroslav Holub (; 13 September 1923 – 14 July 1998) was a Czech poet and immunologist. Holub's work was heavily influenced by his experiences as an Immunologist, writing many poems using his scientific knowledge to poetic effect. His work ...

. Alvarez was the author of many non-fiction books. His renowned study of suicide, '' The Savage God'', gained added resonance from his friendship with Plath. He also wrote on divorce (''Life After Marriage''), dreams (''Night''), and the oil industry (''Offshore''), as well as his hobbies of poker ('' The Biggest Game In Town'') and mountaineering ('' Feeding the Rat,'' a profile of his frequent climbing partner

Mo Anthoine Julian Vincent "Mo" Anthoine (1 August 1939 – 12 August 1989) was a British mountaineer who climbed extensively in the Himalayas in the 1970s and 80s. Early life Born in Kidderminster, he left King Charles I School at the age of sixteen to ...

). His 1999 autobiography is entitled ''Where Did It All Go Right?'' His 1962 poetry anthology '' The New Poetry'' was hailed at the time as a fresh departure. It championed the

American style This is a list of dance terms that are not names of dances or types of dances. See List of dances and List of dance style categories for those. This glossary lists terms used in various types of ballroom partner dances, leaving out terms of highly ...

, in relation to the perceived excessive 'gentility' of

British poetry {{Unreferenced, date=February 2022 British poetry is the field of British literature encompassing poetry from anywhere in the British world (whether of the British Isles, the British Empire, or the United Kingdom). The term is rarely used, as almo ...

of the time. In 2010, he was awarded the

Benson Medal The Benson Medal is a medal awarded by the Royal Society of Literature in the UK."The Benson Medal"

by the Royal Society of Literature.

Film and TV

In July 1989 Alvarez made an extended appearance on the Channel 4 discussion programme '' After Dark'' to discuss gambling alongside, among others,

Victor Lownes Victor Aubrey Lownes III (April 17, 1928 – January 11, 2017) was an executive for HMH Publishing Company Inc., later known as Playboy Enterprises, from 1955 through the early 1980s. Soon after he met Hugh Hefner in 1954, Hefner founded ''Playb ...

and

David Berglas David Berglas (born 30 July 1926) is a British magician and mentalist of German-Jewish descent. His secret technique of locating a particular card within a pack has been described as the Holy Grail of card magic. He was one of the first magicia ...

. Alvarez was portrayed by

Jared Harris Jared Francis Harris (born 24 August 1961) is a British actor. His roles include Lane Pryce in the AMC television drama series ''Mad Men'', for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Serie ...

in the 2003 film '' Sylvia'', which chronicles the troubled relationship between Plath and her husband

Ted Hughes Edward James "Ted" Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest wri ...

Death

He died at the age of 90 from

viral pneumonia Viral pneumonia is a pneumonia caused by a virus. Pneumonia is an infection that causes inflammation in one or both of the lungs. The pulmonary alveoli fill with fluid or pus making it difficult to breathe. Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, vir ...

. He was survived by his second wife, Anne, and by their children, Luke and Kate. Another son, Adam, from his first marriage, with

Frieda Lawrence Frieda Lawrence (August 11, 1879 – August 11, 1956) was a German author and wife of the British novelist D.H. Lawrence. Life Emma Maria Frieda Johanna Freiin (Baroness) von Richthofen (also known under her married names as Frieda Weekley, Fri ...

's granddaughter, Ursula Barr, predeceased him. He is buried in

Hampstead Cemetery Hampstead Cemetery is a historic cemetery in West Hampstead, London, located at the upper extremity of the NW6 district. Despite the name, the cemetery is three-quarters of a mile from Hampstead Village, and bears a different postcode. It is j ...

Legacy

In 1990 the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

acquired Alvarez's archive consisting of correspondence, and papers relating to his poetry, prose publications and scripts for stage, film, radio and television.Alvarez Papers
archives and manuscripts catalogue, the British Library. Retrieved 27 May 2020

Selected works

* ''The Shaping Spirit'' (1958) * ''The School of Donne'' (1961) * ''The New Poetry'' (1962) * ''Under Pressure'' (1965) * ''Beyond All This Fiddle'' (1968) * ''The Savage God'' (1972) * ''Beckett'' (

Fontana Modern Masters The Fontana Modern Masters was a series of pocket guides on writers, philosophers, and other thinkers and theorists who shaped the intellectual landscape of the twentieth century. The first five titles were published on 12 January 1970 by Fontana ...

, 1973) * ''Hers'' (1974) * ''Hunt'' (1979) * ''Life After Marriage'' (1982) * ''The Biggest Game in Town'' (1983) * '' Feeding the Rat'' (1988) * ''Day of Atonement'' (1991) * ''Night'' (1995) * ''Where Did It All Go Right?'' (1999) * ''Poker: Bets, Bluffs, and Bad Beats'' (2001) * ''New & Selected Poems'' (2002) * ''The Writer's Voice'' (2005) * ''Risky Business'' (2007) * ''Pondlife'' (2013)

References

External links

Book Review of 'The Biggest Game In Town'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez, Al 1929 births 2019 deaths English non-fiction writers English autobiographers People educated at The Hall School, Hampstead People educated at Oundle School Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford English literary critics Writers from London 20th-century English poets 21st-century British poets 21st-century English male writers English male poets English Jewish writers 20th-century English male writers Deaths from pneumonia in the United Kingdom