Mick Imlah
Encyclopedia
Michael Ogilvie Imlah better known as Mick Imlah, was a Scottish poet and editor.
near Glasgow
, before moving to Beckenham
, Kent
in 1966. He was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford
, where he subsequently taught as a Junior Fellow. He revived the historic Oxford Poetry
before editing Poetry Review
from 1983-6, and then working at the Times Literary Supplement from 1992. His collection The Lost Leader (2008) won the Forward Prize
for Best Collection, and was shortlisted for the 2009 International Griffin Poetry Prize
. Imlah died in January 2009 aged 52 as a result of motor neurone disease
. He was diagnosed with this disease in December 2007. An issue of Oxford Poetry
was dedicated to his memory.
Background
Imlah was brought up in MilngavieMilngavie
Milngavie , is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden....
near Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, before moving to Beckenham
Beckenham
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in 1966. He was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, where he subsequently taught as a Junior Fellow. He revived the historic Oxford Poetry
Oxford Poetry
Oxford Poetry is a literary magazine based in Oxford, England. It is currently edited by Hamid Khanbhai and Thomas A Richards.Founded in 1910 by Basil Blackwell, its editors have included Dorothy L...
before editing Poetry Review
Poetry Society
The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry".The Society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society in 1912...
from 1983-6, and then working at the Times Literary Supplement from 1992. His collection The Lost Leader (2008) won the Forward Prize
Forward Poetry Prize
The Forward Poetry Prizes were created in 1991. The aim of the prizes is to extend the audience for contemporary poetry. Until the T.S. Eliot Prize remuneration was increased to £15,000 plus £1000 to each of nine runners-up, the Forward was the United Kingdom's most valuable annual poetry...
for Best Collection, and was shortlisted for the 2009 International Griffin Poetry Prize
Griffin Poetry Prize
The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. The awards go to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language....
. Imlah died in January 2009 aged 52 as a result of motor neurone disease
Motor neurone disease
The motor neurone diseases are a group of neurological disorders that selectively affect motor neurones, the cells that control voluntary muscle activity including speaking, walking, breathing, swallowing and general movement of the body. They are generally progressive in nature, and can cause...
. He was diagnosed with this disease in December 2007. An issue of Oxford Poetry
Oxford Poetry
Oxford Poetry is a literary magazine based in Oxford, England. It is currently edited by Hamid Khanbhai and Thomas A Richards.Founded in 1910 by Basil Blackwell, its editors have included Dorothy L...
was dedicated to his memory.
As author
- The Zoologist’s Bath (Oxford: Sycamore Press, 1982), 15 pages, ISBN 978-0906003046
- Birthmarks, the first full book of his poetry (Chatto Windus, 1988), 56 pages, ISBN 978-0701133580
- Penguin New Poets 3: Glyn MaxwellGlyn MaxwellGlyn Maxwell is a British poet.-Early life:Though his parents are Welsh, Maxwell was born and raised in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire. He studied English at Worcester College, Oxford. He began an MLitt there, but in 1987 moved to America to study poetry and drama with Derek Walcott at...
, Mick Imlah, Peter ReadingPeter ReadingPeter Reading was an English poet and the author of 26 collections of poetry. He is known for his choice of ugly subject matter, and use of classical metres. The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry describes his verse as "strongly anti-romantic, disenchanted and usually satirical"...
(1994), ISBN 978-0140587425 - Diehard, booklet (Clutag PressClutag PressThe Clutag Press was established in 2000 as a venture by Andrew McNeillie to issue Clutag Poetry Leaflets, by established and emerging poets. In 2004, it received backing from The Christopher Tower Fund...
, 2006) ISBN 978-0954727598 - The Lost Leader, the second full book of his poetry before his death (Faber and FaberFaber and FaberFaber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
, 2008), ISBN 9780571243075
As editor
- Dr. Wortle's School by Anthony TrollopeAnthony TrollopeAnthony Trollope was one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of his best-loved works, collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire...
(Imlah wrote the introduction and notes; Penguin Classics, 1999), ISBN 978-0140434040 - The New Penguin Book of Scottish Verse (with Robert Crawford), 2000), ISBN 978-0140587111
- A Century of Poems (with Alan Jenkins), Times Supplements Ltd, 2002), 136 pp, ISBN 978-1841220642
- The TLS On Shakespeare (The Times, 2003), 178 pp, ISBN 978-1405838436
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson: Poems Selected by Mick Imlah (Faber and FaberFaber and FaberFaber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
, 2004), ISBN 978-0571207008 - Edwin MuirEdwin MuirEdwin Muir was an Orcadian poet, novelist and translator born on a farm in Deerness on the Orkney Islands. He was remembered for his deeply felt and vivid poetry in plain language with few stylistic preoccupations....
Selected Poems (Faber and FaberFaber and FaberFaber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
, 2008), ISBN 978-0571235476
External links
- Imlah profile at the Poetry Archive
- "Mick Imlah: the lost talent" 27 November 2010. Guardian
- Griffin Poetry Prize biography, including video clip of reading of Imlah poem
- "Mick Imlah 1956–2009": a collection of poems by Imlah, reviews of his books and his own essays from TLS, January 12 2009
- Mick Imlah Poem in Qualm
- Late poet's Griffin nomination delights loved ones