Northman: John Hewitt (1907-87)

An Irish writer, his world, and his times

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Poetry History & Criticism, Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book Northman: John Hewitt (1907-87) by W. J. McCormack, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: W. J. McCormack ISBN: 9780191060427
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: September 10, 2015
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: W. J. McCormack
ISBN: 9780191060427
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: September 10, 2015
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

This, the first ever biography of John Hewitt, is based on archival material, both personal and literary. In many ways it is also a biography of his wife, Roberta (nee Black), whose manuscript journal is also in the public domain. To establish Hewitt's late arrival as a poet, the book opens with a chapter recounting his negotiations with a London publisher over a long period and the eventual appearance of No Rebel Word (1949). Successive chapters trace his education, courtship, literary apprenticeship, first employment as a junior gallery curator in Belfast, the political conflicts of the 1930s and then the War Years, his rejection for the post of director in Belfast's Civic Museum and Gallery, and his utopian commitment to regionalism. Appointment to the Herbert Gallery in Coventry in 1956 brought recognition and confidence. His leanings towards socialist realism came to accommodate abstract art, and he defended the sculptor Barbara Hepworth against the penny-pinching ratepayers. Throughout this two-part career, Hewitt maintained his output as poet, culminating in the Collected Poems (1968). His Irish political commitments never wavered, though he became cautious about forms of nationalism which proclaimed themselves left-wing. Roberta Hewitt's work for the Coventry Labour Party provided an outlet for her energies and her domestic frustrations. Throughout these forty years, the poetry is kept constantly in view, sometime by reference to individual pieces and their origins, and some by means of longer 'breaks for text' where more detailed criticism is practised. In 1972, the Hewitts returned to Belfast whenthe Troubles reached an ugly peak. Committed to anti-sectarianism, Hewitt withheld support from all parties, though he took an interest in trade union activity. Publishing (perhaps too much) poetry in his last decade-and-a-half, he died very much in harness.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This, the first ever biography of John Hewitt, is based on archival material, both personal and literary. In many ways it is also a biography of his wife, Roberta (nee Black), whose manuscript journal is also in the public domain. To establish Hewitt's late arrival as a poet, the book opens with a chapter recounting his negotiations with a London publisher over a long period and the eventual appearance of No Rebel Word (1949). Successive chapters trace his education, courtship, literary apprenticeship, first employment as a junior gallery curator in Belfast, the political conflicts of the 1930s and then the War Years, his rejection for the post of director in Belfast's Civic Museum and Gallery, and his utopian commitment to regionalism. Appointment to the Herbert Gallery in Coventry in 1956 brought recognition and confidence. His leanings towards socialist realism came to accommodate abstract art, and he defended the sculptor Barbara Hepworth against the penny-pinching ratepayers. Throughout this two-part career, Hewitt maintained his output as poet, culminating in the Collected Poems (1968). His Irish political commitments never wavered, though he became cautious about forms of nationalism which proclaimed themselves left-wing. Roberta Hewitt's work for the Coventry Labour Party provided an outlet for her energies and her domestic frustrations. Throughout these forty years, the poetry is kept constantly in view, sometime by reference to individual pieces and their origins, and some by means of longer 'breaks for text' where more detailed criticism is practised. In 1972, the Hewitts returned to Belfast whenthe Troubles reached an ugly peak. Committed to anti-sectarianism, Hewitt withheld support from all parties, though he took an interest in trade union activity. Publishing (perhaps too much) poetry in his last decade-and-a-half, he died very much in harness.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Images of Time by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book Statistical Models in Epidemiology by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book Metaphysics: A Very Short Introduction by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Prehistoric Figurines by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Atheism by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book Scotland and the British Empire by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book On Living in an Old Country by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book Foreign Aid for Development by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book Science Fiction: A Very Short Introduction by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book Run, Swim, Throw, Cheat:The science behind drugs in sport by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book The Virtue of Defiance and Psychiatric Engagement by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book Transnational Patriotism in the Mediterranean, 1800-1850 by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book Russia: A History by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book Community, Scale, and Regional Governance by W. J. McCormack
Cover of the book Quantitative Ecology and Evolutionary Biology by W. J. McCormack
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy