Roy Anthony "Tony" McNeill (1941 – 2 January 1996) was a Jamaican poet, considered one of the most promising West Indian writers of his generation, whose career was cut short by his early death.

Biography

McNeill was born in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

and educated at Excelsior School and St. George's College (where he was already known to his friends as a poet) before leaving to study in the United States. He studied creative writing at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

and the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

, from which he graduated with a PhD. He returned to Jamaica in 1975, where he worked as a journalist and assistant editor of the '' Jamaica Journal'' (1975–81), as well as in a variety of other jobs, including civil servant, encyclopedia salesman, and janitor. While a student in the US, McNeill began writing seriously. His first major collection of poems, ''Reel from "The Life Movie"'', appeared in 1972 and immediately established his reputation in Jamaica alongside his contemporaries Dennis Scott and

Mervyn Morris Mervyn Eustace Morris OM (born 21 February 1937) is a poet, writer, editor and professor emeritus at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. His poetry is well respected throughout the Caribbean, which has consistently ranked him amon ...

. This was followed by ''Credences at the Altar of Cloud'' (1979) and ''Chinese Lanterns from the Blue Child'', published posthumously in 1998. Other significant work remains unpublished. McNeill was known for his experimental style, influenced by contemporary

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

as well as American poets like

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

, and

E. E. Cummings Edward Estlin Cummings (October 14, 1894 – September 3, 1962), commonly known as e e cummings or E. E. Cummings, was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright. During World War I, he worked as an ambulance driver and was ...

. He once said, of his first collection, "I don't think I could write if my first concern wasn't for the aesthetic." He also claimed that his greatest ambition was to be a jazz pianist. He was recognised by his peers as a prodigious talent, but McNeill was plagued by alcoholism and drug abuse. In one of his later poems he wrote, "I realised very early I had no gift for conducting a life. So I shifted my focus and sang a wreath." He died while undergoing surgery at the

University Hospital of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in the ...

on 2 January 1996. In an obituary essay, poet and literary scholar

wrote: "We have lost one of the finest of our West Indian poets, an extreme talent, recklessly experimental, awesome in commitment to his gift."

External links

*Elaine Savory
Review of ''Chinese Lanterns from the Blue Child''McNeill page
at Peepal Tree Press website {{DEFAULTSORT:McNeill, Anthony 1941 births 1996 deaths 20th-century Jamaican male singers University of the West Indies alumni University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni People educated at St. George's College, Jamaica

Biography

Further reading

External links