- Al Alvarez
Infobox Writer
name = Al Alvarez
caption = Alvarez in 2006
pseudonym =
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birthdate = birth date and age|1929|8|5|mf=y
birthplace =London
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = poet, critic
nationality = British
period = 1961–
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notableworks =
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website =Al Alvarez (born
London , August 5, 1929) is an Englishpoet , writer andcritic who publishes under the name A. Alvarez and Al Alvarez.Born Alfred Alvarez, he was educated at
Oundle School andCorpus Christi College, Oxford , where he took a First in English. After teaching briefly in Oxford and the USA, he became a fulltime writer in his late twenties. From 1956 to 1966, he was the poetry editor and critic for "The Observer ", where he introduced British readers toJohn Berryman ,Robert Lowell ,Sylvia Plath ,Zbigniew Herbert , andMiroslav Holub .Alvarez is the author of many non-fiction books. He is best known for his study of suicide, "The Savage God," which gained added resonance from his friendship with
Sylvia Plath . He has also written on divorce ("Life After Marriage"), dreams ("Night"), and the oil industry ("Offshore"), as well as his hobbies of poker ("The Biggest Game In Town") and mountaineering ("Feeding the Rat," a profile of his frequent climbing partnerMo Antoine ). His 1999 autobiography is entitled "Where Did It All Go Right?"His 1962 poetry anthology "
The New Poetry " was hailed at the time as a fresh departure. It championed the American style, in relation to the perceived excessive 'gentility' ofBritish poetry of the time.Alvarez was portrayed by
Jared Harris in the 2003film "Sylvia", which chronicles the troubled relationship betweenSylvia Plath and her husbandTed Hughes .elected works
* "The Shaping Spirit" (1958)
* "The School of Donne" (1961)
* "The New Poetry' (1962)
* "Under Pressure" (1965)
* "Beyond All This Fiddle" (1968)
* "The Savage God" (1972)
* "Samuel Beckett" (1973)
* "Hers" (1974)
* "Hunt" (1979)
* "Life After Marriage" (1982)
* "The Biggest Game in Town" (1983)
* "Feeding the Rat" (1989)
* "Day of Atonement" (1991)
* "Night" (1995)
* "Where Did It All Go Right?" (1999)
* "Poker: Bets, Bluffs, and Bad Beats" (2001)
* "New & Selected Poems" (2002)
* "The Writer's Voice" (2005)
* "Risky Business" (2007)ee also
*
Confessional poetry
*List of British Jews External links
* [http://www.readybetgo.com/book-reviews/review-326.html Book Review of 'The Biggest Game In Town']
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