Where and when were you born?
Could you tell us something about your background?
My father came over from Germany in 1934, my mother was subjected to an English education for girls before going to Innsbruck to further her piano playing.
Were either of your parents or grandparents (or any other relatives) writers? If not, were any of your relatives actively interested in literature?
No, but my father was a painter, my mother a great enthusiast for the arts, and my uncle (Basil Wright) a noted documentary film maker.
Are any of your siblings writers or involved in a
creative profession?
No.
What was the first poem (or who was the first poet) that turned you on to poetry?
Photo finish: George Herbert and T.S. Eliot.
What age were you when you first began writing poetry, and did you receive any encouragement?
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?
It didn’t seem this kind of issue. More that, in time, I realised that poetry was one of the centres of what interested me most.
Did you go to university, and if so, which subject(s) did
you study?
St John’s College, Oxford, where I studied French and German.
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? (And if you received many rejections, was this off-putting?)
I was fortunate enough to have two poems accepted at once (see below).
What was the worst rejection you ever received?
Happily, I can’t recall anything qualifying for this accolade, though the discourtesy of non-response is not unknown to most poets.
What was your first published poem? Which poetry magazine published it? And what year was it published?
‘Fisherman’, New Statesman, 1971 or 1972.
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?
Of course. As soon as you name names, you realise you will omit some, but –Auden, Eliot, Goethe, Baudelaire, Rimbaud amongst others.
Have you ever attended a creative writing course or been involved in a writers' group? If so, did you find it useful?
Only as a tutor, when I have on occasion learned a lot.
When did you put together your first collection of
poetry?
'Opposite Views', pub. 1974.
How long did it take to get it accepted for publication? And, if appropriate, how many times was it rejected?
Again, I was lucky. The publisher, J.M. Dent, spotted the two poems taken by the New Statesman.
How long did you have to wait between acceptance and
final publication?
I think, about a year.
What sort of critical response did you receive?
Mixed.
Would you say that your publisher actively promoted the
book?
Yes.
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?
Several events were organised by the publisher. I’ve no idea how significant the effect on sales was, though I guess it was a help.
How many copies of the book sold?
I don’t know.
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.
Which of your poetry books has been the most successful in terms of sales, and how many copies has it sold to date?
It must be ‘Out of Land: New & Selected Poems (Bloodaxe Books, 1992): in excess of 1,000 copies.
Have you won any awards for your poetry?
Cholmondeley Award, 2004.
Do you make a living out of poetry?
I cobble together a living: poetry is a major component, mostly for related activities such as tutoring, doing readings/visits abroad for The British Council, essays, reviewing and so on.
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?
See above.
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?
Absolutely glad. Would have/might have’ is the barren republic of remorse or nostalgia, and not worth visiting.
If a young would-be poet approached you, which poets would you recommend as vital reading?
Too many to name, but certainly Shakespeare, Donne,
Herbert, Goethe, Rilke,
Emily Dickinson, Mandelstam, Baudelaire, Verlaine,
Rimbaud (A.),Yeats, Auden, Eliot, MacNeice
– and, more recently, Seamus Heaney
and Derek Mahon.
Which poetry magazines would you recommend him or her to
subscribe to?
He or she must make his or her own decision, after browsing.
Assuming that this would-be poet showed some promise, would you advise him or her to pursue a "career" in poetry?
No. I’d advise him or her to be true to his or her gift.
If so, what further advice would you give him or her?
Read. Persist. Be quiet. Keep your eye off the ball.
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?
Hypothetically, I would rather die.
See: Lawrence Sail's biography &
bibliography
See: Lawrence
Sail's Contemporary Writers Webpage
Return to: What Makes Poets Tick?
Return to: Main Menu