Ruth Fainlight

Where and when were you born?

New York City, May 2^nd 1931

Could you tell us something about your background?

Mother secretary, Father shop manager, neither went to university.

Neither did I – I went to Art College, but didn`t complete the course.

Were either of your parents or grandparents (or any other relatives) writers? If not, were any of your relatives actively interested in literature?

My brother Harry Fainlight was a poet. My father started to write poems when he was about 60 years old. He had always been interested in literature, read a lot, etc.

Are any of your siblings writers or involved in a creative profession?

See above

What was the first poem (or who was the first poet) that turned you on to poetry?

Can`t remember. I enjoyed reading poetry from an early age.

What age were you when you first began writing poetry, and did you receive any encouragement?

I remember writing poems from about the age of ten.

When you started writing poetry did you have dreams about becoming a "professional" poet? If so, did anyone advise you against this course of action?

I never considered poetry a profession - but I knew that I would always write poetry. No-one advised me against it.

Did you ever get a poem published in your school magazine?

Can`t remember.

Did you go to university, and if so, which subject(s) did you study?

No

When did you first start submitting to poetry magazines? And can you tell us how many rejections you received before having something accepted for publication?

Probably when I was about 20. Many rejections - which just seemed par for the course, and had no effect on whether or not I wrote.

What was the worst rejection you ever received?

I don`t remember being upset by a rejection.

What was your first published poem? Which poetry magazine published it? And what year was it published?

Not sure - but an early acceptance which pleased me very much was from The Hudson Review.

Round about the time that you started seriously writing poetry, who were your literary heroes? And would you say they had an influence on your writing style?

I had always read a lot of poetry. When I came to England at the age of 15 one of the poets we studied at school was Milton, and I really loved the sound of his poems – as I did that of the 19^th century English poets like Tennyson and Shelley and Keats etc. I also loved Emily Bronte. And about then I began reading 20^th century poetry: Pound, Lawrence, Eliot, Yeats – etc etc etc etc …. Everything I`ve read has had an influence on me!

Have you ever attended a creative writing course or been involved in a writers' group? If so, did you find it useful?

The only time I attended a creative writing course was when I was invited to be Poet in Residence at Vanderbilt University in the USA, and I realised that I did not have the faintest idea of what a creative writing course or a poetry workshop was like.

I thought it would be useful – and sensible – to attend one, so I went a couple of times.

When did you put together your first collection of poetry?

My first collection was a pamphlet in the Outposts series edited by Howard Sergeant. It was called `A Forecast, A Fable`, and appeared in 1958. My first book of poems, `Cages`, was published by Hutchinson in 1966.

How long did it take to get it accepted for publication? And, if appropriate, how many times was it rejected?

I think I had sent the ms. to a few publishers – but can`t really remember how long it all took.

How long did you have to wait between acceptance and final publication?

Can`t remember.

What sort of critical response did you receive?

Not bad.

Would you say that your publisher actively promoted the book?

They did.

Did you do readings and signings at bookshops to help promote the book? If so, did you organise these yourself, or were they organised by your publisher? And would you say that they had a significant effect on sales figures?

There seemed less of that in those days.

How many copies of the book sold?

Don`t remember (if I ever knew).

Is it still in print?

No

At the beginning of your writing career did you enter any poetry competitions? Did you enter a lot or just a few? Did you have any success? And, with hindsight, what are your thoughts about the relative merits or demerits of poetry competitions?

No – none.

Which of your poetry books has been the most successful in terms of sales, and how many copies has it sold to date?

Not sure.

Have you won any awards for your poetry?

Hawthornden Award. One of my collections (Sugar-Paper Blue) was short-listed for the Whitbread Award.

Do you make a living out of poetry?

No

If not, do you make an adequate living through poetry related activities such as teaching creative writing workshops? Or do you have to supplement your income through unrelated activities?

I do not earn enough to support myself.

With the benefit of hindsight, are you glad that you pursued your dream of being a poet? Also, if you could turn the clock back, would you do anything different?

There was never a choice.

If a young would-be poet approached you, which poets would you recommend as vital reading?

I would advise her or him to read as widely and deeply as possible, and to follow their own taste and inclination.

Which poetry magazines would you recommend him or her to subscribe to?

It would depend on what they could afford! There are so many – best to go to a library and look at them all. (But if that is not possible – at the moment, the Poetry Review, Poetry London and the American Poetry Review.)

Assuming that this would-be poet showed some promise, would you advise him or her to pursue a "career" in poetry?

Meaningless question.

If so, what further advice would you give him or her?

Read a lot of poetry. Keep a notebook and try to write down phrases and lines

before you forget them!

Finally (and extremely hypothetically), you are selected to appear on the hit reality TV show, "Desert Island Poets", where you are marooned on a tropical island for three months with a typewriter and several reams of paper. You are provided with all necessary provisions, but you are only allowed to take three books with you. Your appearance fee is more than you could hope to earn in a decade and the show is so popular that all previous participants have become best-selling poets. So, would you participate? And if so, which three books would you take with you?

I would not participate.

See: Contemporary Writers webpage on Ruth Fainlight

See: WritersArtists webpage on Ruth Fainlight

See: Ruth Fainlight's bibliography

Return to: What Makes Poets Tick?

Return to: Main Menu