John Ash (29 June 1948 – 3 December 2019) was an

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

. His lifelong interest in

Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion () was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' continued to be used as a n ...

(especially its

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

) was a major theme which ran through his poetry, fiction and

travel writing The genre of travel literature or travelogue encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs. History Early examples of travel literature include the '' Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (generally considered a ...

, along with family, friends and the three major cities he has lived in. As well as his books (largely published by Carcanet), his work has appeared in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'', ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' and ''

Paris Review ''The Paris Review'' is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, ''The Paris Review'' published new works by Jack Kerouac, ...

''.

Life

John Ash was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1948, the son of schoolteachers. With a brief break to attend the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

(B.A. 1969) and to take a post-graduation year in Cyprus, he remained in the city of his birth until 1985. In the notes to his first book, a sequence titled ''Casino'', Ash remarked that it had grown "out of several years of research for another project – a prose work which was to have been called "The Mauve Book: In Praise of Decadence". He also noted that titles of some sections and the over-all structure had a musical analogy. Musical references continued in the books he published while still in England. Moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1985, Ash became associated with the New York School of poets and formed a strong and lasting friendship with its leading proponent,

John Ashbery John Lawrence Ashbery (July 28, 1927 – September 3, 2017) was an American poet and art critic. Ashbery is considered the most influential American poet of his time. Oxford University literary critic John Bayley wrote that Ashbery "sounded, in ...

. After stints teaching at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

and the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, he moved to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

in 1996, where he lived thenceforth, first teaching at

Boğaziçi University Boğaziçi University (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Boğaziçi Üniversitesi''), also known as Bosphorus University, is a Public university, public research university in Istanbul, Turkey, historically tied to a former American educational insti ...

, before moving to

Kadir Has University Kadir Has University (), often abbreviated as KHAS, is a private non-profit university in Fatih, Istanbul, established in 1997 by Kadir Has, the late Turkish industrialist and philanthropist.

. During this time several of his books, including ''Selected Works'' and ''To the City'', have appeared in Turkish translations, published by

Yapi Kredi Publications Yapi is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Cyril Yapi (born 1980), French footballer * Darren Yapi (born 2004), American soccer player * Gilles Yapi Yapo (born 1982), Ivorian footballer See also * Enerji Yapi-Yol Sen v Turkey, i ...

, who are affiliated with the bank of the same name. Deluxe editions of ''The Anatolikon'', published in a side-by-side English and Turkish edition by Yapi Kredi, featured illustrations by Peter Hristoff, a noted Turkish artist of Bulgarian Christian origin living in New York. In a review of ''To The City'', ''

Poetry Magazine ''Poetry'' (founded as ''Poetry: A Magazine of Verse'') has been published in Chicago since 1912. It is one of the leading monthly poetry journals in the English-speaking world. Founded by poet and arts columnist Harriet Monroe, who built it int ...

'' said that John Ash "could be the best English poet of his generation".Review: In the City
, ''

Poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

'' In 2007 he was profiled in ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

'' in an article by

Hugh Pope Henry Vincent Pope, better known as Fr. Hugh Pope (1869–1946), was an English Dominican biblical scholar, Professor of New Testament Exegesis at the ''Pontificium Collegium Internationale Angelicum'', the future Pontifical University of Saint ...

, himself an author and formerly the ''Wall Street Journal'' correspondent in Istanbul. Pope suggested that Ash was the leading light in a new "Istanbul School" of English-speaking poets taking their inspiration from the city.A Byzantine journey
Hugh Pope, ''

'', 15 February 2007 Following ''Byzantine Journey'', and other travel writing, Ash led tours of the relevant sites and in 2006 wrote the script for the documentary "Istanbul for Aficionados". He also appeared in a

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

guide to Istanbul, broadcast in 2005 on BBC Four's "Mediterranean Tales" strand.Mediterranean Tales: Istanbul
/ref>

Bibliography

Poetry

* ''In the Wake of the Day'' (Manchester 2010, ). * ''The Parthian Stations'' (Manchester 2007, ). * ''To the City'' (Jersey City 2004, ). * ''The Anatolikon and To the City'' (Manchester 2002, ). * ''The Anatolikon'' (Jersey City 2000, ). * ''Selected Poems'' (Manchester 1996, ). * ''The Burnt Pages'' (Manchester 1991, ). * ''Disbelief'' (Manchester 1987, ), Poetry Book Society Choice. * ''The Branching Stairs'' (Manchester 1984, ). * ''The Goodbyes'' (Manchester 1982, ). * ''The Bed & Other Poems'' (London 1981, ), with an introduction by

Lee Harwood Lee Harwood (6 June 1939 – 26 July 2015) was an English poet associated with the British Poetry Revival. Life Travers Rafe Lee Harwood was born in Leicester to maths teacher Wilfred Travers Lee-Harwood and Grace Ladkin Harwood, who were then ...

. * ''Casino: A poem in three parts'' (London 1978, ).

Non-Fiction

* ''A Byzantine Journey'' (

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, ).

Travel

* ''Turkey, The Other Guide: Western and Southern Anatolia'' (2001, ).

Articles

Field of Ruins in the Sand
''The New York Times'', 1999, on

Sergiopolis Resafa (), sometimes spelled Rusafa, and known in the Byzantine era as Sergiopolis ( or , ) and briefly as Anastasiopolis (, ), was a city located in the Roman province of Euphratensis, in modern-day Syria. It is an archaeological site situated so ...

The Lost Heads of Balbura
''The New York Times''
Celebration Istanbul
''New York Times Magazine'', 2001

''The New York Times'', 2002, on

Yusufeli Yusufeli (, Berdagrak; ka, ახალთი, Akhalti) is a town and district of Artvin Province in the Black Sea Region, Turkey, Black Sea region of Turkey. It is located on the bank of Çoruh River 104 km south-west of the city of Artvin, ...

Istanbul's Glitter Domes
''The New York Times''

''The New York Times'', 2004, on

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

Kenneth Koch Kenneth Koch ( ; February 27, 1925 – July 6, 2002) was an American poet, playwright, and professor, active from the 1950s until his death at age 77.) He was a prominent poet of the New York School of poetry. This was a loose group of poets inc ...

, ''The New York Times''
Review: Constantinople: City of the World's Desire
by Philip Mansel, ''The Washington Post''

Anthologies

His work has also appeared in a number of anthologies, including: *

The Best American Poetry series ''The Best American Poetry'' series consists of annual poetry anthologies, each containing seventy-five poems. Background The series, begun by poet and editor David Lehman in 1988, has a different guest editor every year. Lehman, still the genera ...

: ** '' The Best American Poetry 1988'' (1988) ** '' The Best American Poetry 1990'' (1990) ** '' The Best American Poetry 1991'' (1991) ** '' The Best American Poetry 1992'' (1992) * '' The Harvill Book of Twentieth-Century Poetry in English'' (1999) * '' New British Poetry'' (2004)

Awards

Whiting Award The Whiting Award is an American award presented annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, ...

(1986)

References

External links

Carcanet profile

Ash's poem "The Middle Kingdom"

"The Sweeping Gesture"
an
an overview
from ''The North'' no. 8 (1990)

in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''
Profile at The Whiting Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ash, John English travel writers Writers from Manchester Alumni of the University of Birmingham British expatriates in Turkey 1948 births 2019 deaths Academic staff of Boğaziçi University Iowa Writers' Workshop faculty University of California, Berkeley faculty British gay writers English LGBTQ poets English male poets English male non-fiction writers