John Kinsella (born 1963) is an Australian
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
,
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...
,
critic,
essayist
An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal ...
and
editor. His writing is strongly influenced by landscape, and he espouses an 'international regionalism' in his approach to place.
["John Kinsella interviewed by Tracy Ryan]
/ref> He has also frequently worked in collaboration with other writers, artists and musicians.
Early life and work
Kinsella was born in Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
. His mother was a poet and he began writing poetry as a child. He cites Judith Wright
Judith Arundell Wright (31 May 191525 June 2000) was an Australian poet, environmentalist and campaigner for Aboriginal land rights. She was a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award.
Biography
Judith Wright was born in Armidale, New So ...
among his early influences. Before becoming a full-time writer, teacher and editor he worked in a variety of places, including laboratories, a fertiliser factory and on farms.
Later poetry and writing
Kinsella has published over thirty books and his many awards include three Western Australian Premier's Book Awards
The Western Australian Premier's Book Awards is an annual book award provided by the Government of Western Australia, and managed by the State Library of Western Australia.
History and format
Annual literary awards were inaugurated by the West ...
, the Grace Leven Prize for Poetry
The Grace Leven Prize for Poetry was an annual poetry award in Australia, given in the name of Grace Leven who died in 1922. It was established by William Baylebridge who "made a provision for an annual poetry prize in memory of 'my benefactres ...
, the John Bray Award for Poetry, and the 2008 Christopher Brennan Award
The Christopher Brennan Award (formerly known as the Robert Frost Prize) is an Australian award given for lifetime achievement in poetry. The award, established in 1973, takes the form of a bronze plaque which is presented to a poet who produces w ...
.
His poems have appeared in journals such as ''Stand'', ''The Times Literary Supplement
''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp.
History
The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'', ''The Kenyon Review'', ''Poetry Salzburg Review
''Poetry Salzburg Review'' is an English language, biannual literary magazine published by Poetry Salzburg at the University of Salzburg and edited by Wolfgang Görtschacher. It is a successor to '' The Poet's Voice'', which was edited and publis ...
'' and ''Antipodes''. His poetry collections include: ''Poems 1980-1994'', ''The Silo'', ''The Undertow: New & Selected Poems'', ''Visitants'' (1999), ''Wheatlands'' (with Dorothy Hewett, 2000) and ''The Hierarchy of Sheep'' (2001).
His book, ''Peripheral Light: New and Selected Poems'', includes an introduction by Harold Bloom
Harold Bloom (July 11, 1930 – October 14, 2019) was an American literary critic and the Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. In 2017, Bloom was described as "probably the most famous literary critic in the English-speaking worl ...
and his poetry collection, ''The New Arcadia'', was published in June 2005.
Kinsella is a vegan
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...
and has written about the ethics of vegetarianism. In 2001 he published a book of autobiographical writing, called ''Auto''. He has also written plays, short stories and the novels ''Genre'' and ''Post-colonial''.
Kinsella teaches at Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...
, where he is a Fellow of Churchill College
Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but still retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities.
In 1958, a trust was establish ...
. Previously, he was Professor of English at Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is ...
, United States, where he was the Richard L Thomas Professor of Creative Writing in 2001.
Kinsella's manuscripts are housed in the University of Western Australia, the National Library of Australia, the University of New South Wales, Kenyon College and the University of Leeds. The main collection is in Special Collections in the University of Western Australia Library.
Kinsella's 2010 book, ''Activist Poetics: Anarchy in the Avon Valley'', was published by Liverpool University Press and is edited by Niall Lucy
Niall Lucy (11 November 1956 - 5 June 2014) was an Australian writer and scholar best known for his work in deconstruction.
Career
Niall Lucy served as a professor in the School of Media, Culture & Creative Arts at Curtin University, and a ...
.
Work as an editor and critic
Kinsella is a founding editor of the literary journal ''Salt'' and international editor of '' The Kenyon Review
''The Kenyon Review'' is a literary magazine based in Gambier, Ohio, US, home of Kenyon College. ''The Review'' was founded in 1939 by John Crowe Ransom, critic and professor of English at Kenyon College, who served as its editor until 1959. ' ...
''. He co-edited a special issue on Australian poetry for the American journal ''Poetry'' and various other issues of international journals. He was a poetry 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 ...
'' and is an editorial consultant for ''Westerly''.
Bibliography
Poetry
Collections
List of poems
Novels
*
* ''Post-colonial'' (2009)
* ''Lucida Intervalla'' (2018)
* ''Hollow Earth'' (2019)
Short fiction
;Collections
*
* ''Conspiracies'' (2003)
Plays
*
Non-fiction
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
;Autobiography / memoir
*
*
*
;Essays and reporting
*
;Miscellaneous
*
Interviews
*"The Poetry Kit Interviews John Kinsella", 199
*''Overland'' literary journal, interviewed by Tracy Ryan, 24 November 2008
References
External links
'X Marks the Parataxis: Louis Armand, John Kinsella and Jessica L. Wilkinson' in ''Cordite Poetry Review''.'John Kinsella's Poetics of Distraction' in ''Cordite Poetry Review''.
essay by John Kinsella at the Australian Book Review.
'America' reviewed by Abena Sutherland
in poetry mag "Intercapillary Space".
Mutually Said: Poets Vegan Anarchist Pacifist
the blog that he shares with Tracy Ryan.
soi 3 publicity page for Post-colonial
* Audio
John Kinsella reads "Rapture: Tim Discovers the Cosmos"
from the book ''Divine Comedy: Journeys Through A Regional Geography'' (vi
poemsoutloud.net
"John Kinsella's Shades of the Sublime and Beautiful reviewed by Nicholas Pierpan" at ''Tower'' MagazineProfile at Bloodaxe BooksReview of ''Armour'' in the Oxonian Review.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinsella, John
1963 births
Living people
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
Australian anarchists
Australian pacifists
Australian poets
Fellows of Churchill College, Cambridge
Kenyon College faculty
The New Yorker people
University of Western Australia alumni
Writers from Perth, Western Australia