Ruth Fainlight
Encyclopedia
Ruth Fainlight is a poet, short story writer, translator and librettist.
since she was fifteen, having also spent some years living in France
and Spain
. She studied for two years at the Birmingham and Brighton Colleges of Arts and Crafts. In addition to her own works, Fainlight has also provided criticism for BBC Radio
, Times Literary Supplement, The Guardian, and numerous other publications.
She was married to the British writer Alan Sillitoe
(1928–2010) and has a son, David, who is a photographer for The Guardian
and an adopted daughter, Susan. She lives in London
.
She has twice been Poet in Residence at Vanderbilt University
, Nashville
, Tennessee
and was a close friend of Sylvia Plath
's in the years leading up to Plath's death.
tr. M. Rosenberg & D. Samoilovich, Cosmopoetica, Cordoba, Spain
and is published in the April 2003 issue of the Moscow
monthly Inostrannaya Literatura (Foreign Literature).
The poem sequence "Sheba and Solomon" has been translated into Russian by Marina Boroditskaya and published in Moscow in the literary magazine Novaya Younost in 2003.
Life and career
Fainlight was born in New York, but has mainly lived in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
since she was fifteen, having also spent some years living in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. She studied for two years at the Birmingham and Brighton Colleges of Arts and Crafts. In addition to her own works, Fainlight has also provided criticism for BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
, Times Literary Supplement, The Guardian, and numerous other publications.
She was married to the British writer Alan Sillitoe
Alan Sillitoe
Alan Sillitoe was an English writer and one of the "Angry Young Men" of the 1950s.. He disliked the label, as did most of the other writers to whom it was applied.- Biography :...
(1928–2010) and has a son, David, who is a photographer for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and an adopted daughter, Susan. She lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
She has twice been Poet in Residence at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and was a close friend of Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. Born in Massachusetts, she studied at Smith College and Newnham College, Cambridge before receiving acclaim as a professional poet and writer...
's in the years leading up to Plath's death.
Poetry collections
- Cages. 1966.
- To See the Matter Clearly 1968 from Macmillan UK; Dufour Editions, US
- The Region's Violence. 1973.
- Another Full Moon. 1976.
- Sibyls and Others. 1980. New edition, Poetry Book Society, 2007
- Fifteen to Infinity. 1983. Also published 1987, Carnegie-Mellon University Press US
- Selected Poems. 1987.
- The Knot 1990. from Hutchinson or CenturyHutchinson, UK
- Climates. Bloodaxe Books UK, 1983.
- This Time of Year. 1994.
- Selected Poems. Updated new edition, Sinclair-Stevenson UK, 1995.
- Sugar-Paper Blue. Bloodaxe Books UK, Dufour Editions US, 1997.
- Shortlisted for 1998 Whitbread Poetry Prize
- Burning Wire. Bloodaxe Books UK, Dufour Editions US, 2002.
- Moon Wheels. Bloodaxe Books, 2006. Dufour Editions US, 2007
- New and Collected Poems.Bloodaxe Books, 25th Nov 2010
Books
- Sibyls. Gehenna Press US, 1991, with woodcuts by Leonard BaskinLeonard BaskinLeonard Baskin was an American sculptor, book-illustrator, wood-engraver, printmaker, graphic artist, writer and teacher.-Life and work:...
. - Pomegranate. Editions de l`Eau, Ceret, France, 1997, mezzotints by Judith Rothchild
- Leaves/Feuilles, Editions Verdigris, Octon, France, 1998. Bi-lingual, French/English, tr. M. Duclos; mezzotints by Judith Rothchild
- Feathers, Editions Verdigris, France, 2002. Mezzotints by Judith Rothchild
- Sheba and Solomon. Pratt Contemporary Art, UK, 2004. Drypoints by Ana Maria PachecoAna Maria PachecoAna Maria Pacheco is a Brazilian artist who works in the United Kingdom. Her work is partly inspired by the troubled period of Brazil's history, culminating in the takeover by the military junta in 1964, to which she was an eyewitness...
Short story collections
- Daylife and Nightlife. Andre Deutsch UK, 1971.
- Dr. Clock's Last Case. Virago Books UK, 1994.
Translations
- Lope de VegaLope de VegaFélix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio was a Spanish playwright and poet. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Century Baroque literature...
, All Citizens Are Soldiers. Macmillan UK, 1966. Tr. from Spanish (original title: Fuenteovejuna) with Alan Sillitoe - Navigations 1983, Casa da Moeda, Portugal and Marine Rose 1987, Black Swan US, poems, from Portuguese of Sophia de Mello Breyner AndresenSophia de Mello Breyner AndresenSophia de Mello Breyner Andresen was an award-winning Portuguese poet and writer.Sophia, as she is often referred to in Portugal, was born in Porto to a wealthy aristocratic family. She inherited the surname 'Andresen' from her paternal grandfather, a Danish merchant...
- Selection of poems by Jean JoubertJean JoubertJean Joubert is a French novelist, short story writer, and poet.He won the 1978 Prix Mallarmé for Poems: 1955–1975...
, from French, included in Selected Poems, 1995 - SophoclesSophoclesSophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
, The Theban Trilogy 2009. Translated with Robert Littman, Johns Hopkins University Press, US
Poetry collections in translation
- La Verità sulla Sibilla 2003, tr. from Italian. Alessandra Schiavinato and Paolo Ruffilli, published by Edizioni del Leone, Venice, Italy
- Visitação 1995, edited by Ana Hatherly, Quetzal Editores, Lisbon, Portugal
- Encore la Pleine Lune 1997, tr. M.Duclos & J.Joubert, Editions Federop, Eglise-Neuve d'Issac, France
- Leaves/Feuilles 1998, tr. M.Duclos, Editions Verdigris, Octon, France
- Bleu Papier-Sucre 2000, tr. M.Duclos, Les Amis de la Poésie, Bergerac, France
- Plumas (Feathers) (in English and Spanish) published by Editorial 'El Tucan de Virginia', Mexico City, Mexico, 2005.
- Poemas 2000, tr. B.Varela, L.Graves, M.Negroni, J.Capriata, M.Lauer Editorial Pequeña Venecia, Caracas, Venezuela
- 'Autorul La Rampa' 2007, tr. Lidia Vianu, Univers Enciclopedic, Bucharest, Romania
- `La Nueva Ciencia de los Materiales Fuertes`(bi-lingual, English/Spanish) 2009,
tr. M. Rosenberg & D. Samoilovich, Cosmopoetica, Cordoba, Spain
Poems in translation
The poem "Sugar-Paper Blue" was translated into Russian by Marina BoroditskayaMarina Boroditskaya
Marina Yakovlevna Boroditskaya is a Russian children's poet and translator.Boroditskaya was born in Moscow. She graduated from the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages....
and is published in the April 2003 issue of the Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
monthly Inostrannaya Literatura (Foreign Literature).
The poem sequence "Sheba and Solomon" has been translated into Russian by Marina Boroditskaya and published in Moscow in the literary magazine Novaya Younost in 2003.
Libretti
- "The Dancer Hotoke" 1991, composer Erika Fox (nominated for the 1992 Laurence OlivierLaurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
Awards) - The European Story 1993, chamber opera, composer Geoffrey Alvarez (Based on poem of the same name). Both works above were commissioned by the Royal Opera HouseRoyal Opera HouseThe Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
for their 'Garden Venture' program in 1991 and 1993) - Bedlam Britannica September 1995.
Awards and honours
- Cholmondeley Award for Poetry, 1994
- Hawthornden Fellowship, 1987
- Fellow of Royal Society of Literature, 2007
External links
- British Council biography at Contemporary Writers
- Profile and poems written and audio at the Poetry Archive