U. A. Fanthorpe
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| Ursula Askham Fanthorpe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ursula Askham Fanthorpe July 22, 1929 |
| Died | April 28, 2009 (aged 79) Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom |
| Pen name | U.A. Fanthorpe |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Citizenship | British |
| Education | St Anne's College, Oxford |
| Writing period | 1978-2007 |
| Genres | Dramatic poetry |
| Notable work(s) | Side Effects Collected Poems From Me To You: Love Poems |
| Notable award(s) | Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry |
| Domestic partner(s) | R.V. "Rosie" Bailey |
Ursula Askham Fanthorpe, CBE, FRSL (22 July 1929 – 28 April 2009) was an English poet. She published as UA Fanthorpe.
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[edit] Early life
She was educated in Surrey and at St Anne's College, Oxford, where she received a first-class degree in English language and literature, and subsequently taught English at Cheltenham Ladies' College for sixteen years. She then abandoned teaching for jobs as a secretary, receptionist and hospital clerk in Bristol - she later remembered some of the patients whose records she had been responsible for in her poems.[1]
[edit] Career
Her first volume of poetry, Side Effects, was published in 1978. She was "Writer-in-Residence" at Lancaster University (1983–85), as well as Northern Arts Fellow at Durham and Newcastle Universities.[2] In 1987 Fanthorpe went freelance, giving readings around the country and occasionally abroad.
In 1994 she became the first woman in 315 years to be nominated for the post of Professor of Poetry at Oxford.[citation needed]
[edit] Partner
Many of her poems are for two voices. In her readings the other voice is that of Bristol academic and teacher R.V. "Rosie" Bailey, Fanthorpe's partner of 44 years. The couple co-wrote a collection of poems, From Me To You: Love Poems, that was published in 2007 by Enitharmon.[3]
[edit] Last publications
Her nine collections of poems were published by Peterloo Poets;[4] her Collected Poems came out in 2005. Her poem 'Hand-gliders in January' was used in the 'Unseen Poetry' section of the Edexcel June 2009, Module 6 (Criticism and Comparison) paper. Pupils were asked to comment on what they considered to be the subject matter, paying particular attention to the poet's form and language.
[edit] Awards and honours
Fanthorpe was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was made CBE in 2001 for services to poetry. In 2003 she received the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.
[edit] Death
Fanthorpe died, aged 79, on 28 April 2009, in a hospice near her home in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, after an illness.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Lasting Tribute site
- ^ Newcastle University website
- ^ From Me To You: Love Poems. Enitharmon. 2007. ISBN 9781904634553.
- ^ Peterloo Poets
- ^ "British poet UA Fanthorpe dies". BBC News. 30 April 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8027526.stm. Retrieved on 30 April 2009.
[edit] External links
- U.A. Fanthorpe Collection University of Gloucestershire Archives and Special Collections
- Fanthorpe reading her own poetry at The Poetry Archive
- The British Arts Council's Contemporary Writers page
- Article with biographical information from the Independent Online
- Fanthorpe's page at the Peterloo Poets site
- A sketch of Fanthorpe and Bailey giving a reading
- UA Fanthorpe Daily Telegraph obituary
