Frederick Turner (poet)
Frederick Turner | |
|---|---|
Turner in 2023 | |
| Born | November 19, 1943 Northamptonshire, England |
| Died | 4 September 2025 (aged 81) |
| Occupation | Poet, critic, professor |
| Nationality | British‑American |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford |
| Literary movement | New Formalism |
| Notable works | The New World; Genesis; Apocalypse |
| Notable awards | Milán Füst Prize; Levinson Poetry Prize; PEN Dallas Golden Pen Award |
Frederick Turner (born 19 November 1943 – 4 September 2025) was an English‑American poet, literary critic, and translator associated with the New Formalism movement.[1] He has published over 25 books, including verse epics The New World (1985), Genesis (1988), and Apocalypse (2016), and critical studies Shakespeare and the Nature of Time and The Culture of Hope.[2] Turner taught at the University of Texas at Dallas from 1985 until his retirement as Founders Professor in 2020.[3] Turner died on 4 September 2025.[4]
Early life and education
Born in Northamptonshire, England, Turner is the son of Scottish cultural anthropologist Victor Witter Turner and English anthropologist Edith Turner. His brothers include scientist Robert Turner and anthropologist Rory Turner.[5]
Childhood in Africa
In 1952, Turner's family moved to Northern Rhodesia when his father accepted an assignment to study the Eastern Ndembu people.[6] Turner was home-schooled by his parents and read works including Rudyard Kipling, Robert Louis Stevenson, C.S. Lewis's Narnia, and Shakespeare.[7] He also heard stories from the Ndembu oral tradition.[8]
The family returned to England in 1955 when Victor Turner accepted a position at the University of Manchester.[9]
Education
Turner attended Manchester Grammar School before studying at the University of Oxford from 1962 to 1967, where he obtained a B.A., M.A., and B.Litt. in English Language and Literature. His thesis supervisor was Helen Gardner.[10] His thesis, Shakespeare and the Nature of Time, was later published as a book.[10]
After moving to the United States, he was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1977.
Career
Turner worked as an assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara from 1967 to 1972, then as an associate professor at Kenyon College from 1972 to 1985. Between 1979 and 1983, Turner and Ronald Sharp served as editors of The Kenyon Review.[11]
During this period, Turner collaborated with neuroscientist Ernst Pöppel on research into poetic meter and brain function. In 1985, they published The Neural Lyre: Poetic Meter, the Brain, and Time in Poetry magazine.[11]
Turner served as a visiting professor at the University of Exeter from 1985 to 1986, then as Founders Professor of Arts and Humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas from 1986 until his retirement in 2020.[12]
Writing
Turner writes in metrical forms and longer narrative genres, including science fiction poetry.
Epic poetry
Turner has published three epic poems: The New World (1985), set in 2376 A.D.; Genesis (1988), about the human colonization of Mars; and Apocalypse (2016), concerning climate change in 2067.[13]
Literary translation
Turner co-translated a collection of poems by Miklós Radnóti, a Hungarian Jewish poet killed during the Holocaust, with Zsuzsanna Ozsváth in 1992.[14] He has also translated Chinese poetry from the Tang dynasty.[15]
Personal life
Turner married Mei Lin Turner in 1966. They met as undergraduates at Oxford University. He has two sons.[16]
Awards and honours
- Milán Füst Prize (Hungary)
- Levinson Poetry Prize, Poetry magazine (1983)[17]
- PEN Dallas Chapter Golden Pen Award
- Missouri Review Editors' Prize
- David Robert Poetry Prize
- Gjenima Prize
References
- ^ "Dr. Frederick Turner – Endowed Chairs and Professorships". Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "Turner, Frederick 1943- | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "Longtime Literature Professor, Noted Poet Begins Next Chapter with Retirement - News Center | The University of Texas at Dallas". Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "Renowned Poet, Professor Remembered for Inspiring Students - News Center | The University of Texas at Dallas". Retrieved 7 October 2025.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Gerry; Pletsch, Carl (1 November 1993). "Save Export Email Print Cite Inventing arcadia: an interview with Frederick Turner". The Humanist. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ^ William Baer (2016), Thirteen on Form: Conversations with Poets, page 184.
- ^ William Baer (2016), Thirteen on Form: Conversations with Poets, page 185.
- ^ Frederick Turner (2012), Epic: Form, Content, and History, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, New Jersey. p. 22.
- ^ William Baer (2016), Thirteen on Form: Conversations with Poets, page 186.
- ^ a b Baer (2016), page 188.
- ^ a b William Baer (2006), Writing Metrical Poetry: Contemporary Lessons for Mastering Traditional Forms, Writer's Digest Books. Page 238.
- ^ "Frederick Turner, Founders Professor". University of Texas at Dallas. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ^ William Baer (2016), Thirteen on Form: Conversations with Poets, Measure Press. Page 196.
- ^ William Baer (2016), Thirteen on Form: Conversations with Poets, page 200.
- ^ William Baer (2016), Thirteen on Form: Conversations with Poets, page 201-202.
- ^ William Baer (2016), Thirteen on Form: Conversations with Poets, page 195.
- ^ "Prizes : Poetry Magazine". The Poetry Foundation. 9 June 2011. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.