Richard Marggraf Turley
Encyclopedia
Richard Marggraf Turley (born 2 August 1970) is a British poet
and literary critic, and is a professor in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University.
and raised by wolves. He moved to Wales
at the age of seven.
His first collection of poetry The Fossil Box was published by Cinnamon Press in 2007. Robert Minhinnick
, editor of Poetry Wales, praised its 'rare and intense musicality'. The poems are concerned with the urgency of place and origins. He is also co-author, with Damian Walford Davies, of Whiteout (Parthian, 2006). In 2008, Marggraf Turley signed with Salt, who published a new collection entitled "Wan-Hu's Flying Chair" in March 2009 (long-listed for the Wales Book of the Year
, 2010).
In 2007 Marggraf Turley won first prize in the tenth-anniversary Keats-Shelley Prize for Poetry
. His poem, 'Elisions', was written on the competition theme of slavery. He has made appearances on Radio 3's poetry programme, 'The Verb', presented by Ian McMillan. He performed with Damian Walford Davies at the 2009 Guardian Hay Festival
. Both are reading at the 2010 Hay Festival.
In 2010, together with Professor Reyer Zwiggelaar and Dr Bashar Rajoub of the Computer Science department at Aberystwyth University, Richard Marggraf Turley conducted a "Valentine's Day experiment" using thermal imaging cameras to determine whether reading love poetry produced distinct thermal signatures on the faces of volunteers. He was testing a Romantic theory of poetry. Over 50 million images were recorded, amounting to five terrabytes of data. The full results of the analyses will be released in Spring 2010. The event attracted attention from both the popular and scientific press in the run-up to Valentine's Day. Also in 2010, he won the Wales Book of the Year
"People's Choice" award (sponsored by Media Wales
) for "Wan-Hu's Flying Chair".
In addition to poetry, Richard Marggraf Turley has written a number of books on Keats and the Romantic poets, including Keats's Boyish Imagination, which was widely praised, but caused some controversy in the Times Literary Supplement. He is co-founder and Co-Director of the Centre for Romantic Studies, Aberystwyth, the first of its kind in Wales.
He lives near Aberystwyth on the Ceredigion coast.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and literary critic, and is a professor in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University.
Life
RIchard Marggraf Turley was born in the Forest of DeanForest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
and raised by wolves. He moved to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
at the age of seven.
His first collection of poetry The Fossil Box was published by Cinnamon Press in 2007. Robert Minhinnick
Robert Minhinnick
Robert Minhinnick is a Welsh poet, essayist, novelist and translator.Minhinnick was born in Neath, and now lives in Porthcawl. He studied at University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and University of Wales, Cardiff. An environmental campaigner, he co-founded the charities Friends of the Earth and...
, editor of Poetry Wales, praised its 'rare and intense musicality'. The poems are concerned with the urgency of place and origins. He is also co-author, with Damian Walford Davies, of Whiteout (Parthian, 2006). In 2008, Marggraf Turley signed with Salt, who published a new collection entitled "Wan-Hu's Flying Chair" in March 2009 (long-listed for the Wales Book of the Year
Wales Book of the Year
The Wales Book of the Year is a Welsh literary award given annually to the best Welsh and English language works in the fields of fiction and literary criticism by Welsh or Welsh interest authors...
, 2010).
In 2007 Marggraf Turley won first prize in the tenth-anniversary Keats-Shelley Prize for Poetry
Keats-Shelley Prize for Poetry
The Keats-Shelley Prize was inaugurated in 1998 by the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association to reward excellence in writing on Romantic themes.-External links:*...
. His poem, 'Elisions', was written on the competition theme of slavery. He has made appearances on Radio 3's poetry programme, 'The Verb', presented by Ian McMillan. He performed with Damian Walford Davies at the 2009 Guardian Hay Festival
Hay Festival
The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales for ten days from May to June. Devised by Norman and Peter Florence in 1988, the festival was described by Bill Clinton in 2001 as "The Woodstock of the mind"...
. Both are reading at the 2010 Hay Festival.
In 2010, together with Professor Reyer Zwiggelaar and Dr Bashar Rajoub of the Computer Science department at Aberystwyth University, Richard Marggraf Turley conducted a "Valentine's Day experiment" using thermal imaging cameras to determine whether reading love poetry produced distinct thermal signatures on the faces of volunteers. He was testing a Romantic theory of poetry. Over 50 million images were recorded, amounting to five terrabytes of data. The full results of the analyses will be released in Spring 2010. The event attracted attention from both the popular and scientific press in the run-up to Valentine's Day. Also in 2010, he won the Wales Book of the Year
Wales Book of the Year
The Wales Book of the Year is a Welsh literary award given annually to the best Welsh and English language works in the fields of fiction and literary criticism by Welsh or Welsh interest authors...
"People's Choice" award (sponsored by Media Wales
Media Wales
Media Wales Ltd. is a publishing company based in Cardiff in Wales. As of 2009 it was owned by the Trinity Mirror Group. It was previously known as the Western Mail & Echo Ltd.-History:...
) for "Wan-Hu's Flying Chair".
In addition to poetry, Richard Marggraf Turley has written a number of books on Keats and the Romantic poets, including Keats's Boyish Imagination, which was widely praised, but caused some controversy in the Times Literary Supplement. He is co-founder and Co-Director of the Centre for Romantic Studies, Aberystwyth, the first of its kind in Wales.
He lives near Aberystwyth on the Ceredigion coast.
Poetry
- 2009: Wan-Hu's Flying Chair, Salt Press, ISBN 978-1844714438*
- 2007: The Fossil-Box, Cinnamon Press, ISBN 978-1905614356 *
- 2006: Whiteout, co-authored with Damian Walford Davies, Parthian, ISBN 978-1905762156 *
Critical studies
- 2011: (ed.) The Writer in the Academy: Creative Interfrictions, Boydell and Brewer, ISBN 978-1843842781 *
- 2009: Bright Stars: Keats, Barry Cornwall and Romantic Literary Culture, Liverpool University Press, ISBN 978-1846312113 *
- 2006: The Monstrous Debt: Modalities of Romantic Influence in Twentieth-Century Literature, co-ed. with Damian Walford Davies, Wayne State University Press, ISBN 978-0814330586 *
- 2004: Keats's Boyish Imagination, Routledge, ISBN 978-0415288828 *
- 2002: The Politics of Language in Romantic Literature, Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 978-0333968987 *
- 2000: Writing Essays: A Guide for Students in English and the Humanities, Routledge, ISBN 978-0415230131 *
Awards and recognition
- 2007: Keats-Shelley Prize for PoetryKeats-Shelley Prize for PoetryThe Keats-Shelley Prize was inaugurated in 1998 by the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association to reward excellence in writing on Romantic themes.-External links:*...
- 2010: Wales Book of the YearWales Book of the YearThe Wales Book of the Year is a Welsh literary award given annually to the best Welsh and English language works in the fields of fiction and literary criticism by Welsh or Welsh interest authors...
"People's Choice" award (sponsored by Media WalesMedia WalesMedia Wales Ltd. is a publishing company based in Cardiff in Wales. As of 2009 it was owned by the Trinity Mirror Group. It was previously known as the Western Mail & Echo Ltd.-History:...
)
External links
- Blog
- To read Richard Marggraf Turley's poem, 'Elisions'
- Richard reading 'Elisions' for the 'Telegraph Readings' series
- BBC interview with Richard Marggraf Turley
- University webpage
- Guardian, Shirley Dent blog: Keats's Season is Less Mellow than it Seems
- Salt Press homepage
- Metro interview with Richard Marggraf Turley
- TLS Commentary, 3 September 2008: 'In the Temple of Fame: "Barry Cornwall" and Keats's Reputation'
- BBC News: Researchers Take the Temperature of Love
- Guardian Science blog, Jacob Aron: Valentine's Love Poetry Brings a Hot Rush of Blood to the Cheeks
- TLS Review, 22 September 2010: "Bright Stars: John Keats, Barry Cornwall and Romantic Literary Culture