John Montague: A Poet’s Life

UK Book Launch and public interview with acclaimed biographer, Adrian Frazier.

In the late twentieth century, Irish poetry achieved an historic quality, a golden era to compare with the verse of the Elizabethan and the Romantic periods. A Poet’s Life is the definitive biography of one of the first and foremost poets in this golden generation, John Montague. Inspired by the examples of Yeats and Joyce, he consciously educated himself to play a central role in the self-understanding of his people.

John Montague (28 February 1929 − 10 December 2016) was an Irish poet. Born in the United States, he was raised in Ulster in the north of Ireland. He published a number of volumes of poetry, two collections of short stories and two volumes of memoir. He was one of the best-known Irish contemporary poets. In 1998 he became the first occupant of the Ireland Chair of Poetry, (essentially Ireland’s  poet laureate). In 2010 he was made a Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur, France’s highest civil award.

Adrian Frazier will be interviewed by the ICC’s Resident Playwright and Author, Conor Montague; Conormontague.com

“John Montague: A Poet’s Life” is published by The Lilliput Press

About Adrian Frazier

Already a highly lauded biographer, Adrian Frazier was a close acquaintance of Montague for more than forty years. In this fully authorised narrative that is clear, candid, and marbled with humour, Frazier reveals the sources of poetry in Montague’s life and traces the progress of his style from book to book. Based on Montague’s archive of private papers, and informed by the counsel of the poet’s lifelong friends, partners, and fellow poets, this is a monumental work of Irish literary biography, sure to be a classic of the genre.

What The Press Say about John Montague: A Poet’s Life.

‘An exemplary biography’ –David Wheatly (Literary Review)

‘No holds barred biography of the American-born Irish poet acknowledges the cost of a life turned “into the achievement of poetry”.’– Clíona Ní Ríordáin (Irish Times)  

‘Well-rounded account of a complex and lusty Irish master.’ – Paul Perry(Irish Independent)

‘An exceptional biography and a riveting read.’– Sandra Bunting (Good Reads)

‘A joy to read, with Frazier’s turns of phrase bringing to life the smoke-filled world of ‘60s and ‘70s poetry readings and editorial confabs.’– Paul O’Brien (Irish Studies Review) 

Here’s a link to the RTE Culture review.

John Montague: A Poet’s Life – an extract from the new biography