Carcanet Press - John Ash

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JOHN ASH was born in Manchester in 1948 and read English at the University of Birmingham. He lived for a year in Cyprus, and in Manchester between 1970 and 1985, before moving to New York. Since 1996 he has lived in Istanbul. His poetry has appeared in many publications including the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Village Voice, Oasis, PN Review and Paris Review. Two of his Carcanet collections, The Goodbyes (1982) and Disbelief (1987) were Poetry Book Society Choices. He has also written two books about Turkey, A Byzantine Journey and Turkey: The Other Guide.

In 'Difficult' John Ash says that poetry is always difficult, like 'a maladjusted child', but that he increasingly thinks it should be difficult for the poet rather than the reader. read more

As a 'book of memories and journeys', John Ash's latest collection In The Wake Of The Day seems to be underpinned by Cavafy's paradox in the poem 'Ithaca', which says that the journey is more important than the goal: if you do not hurry, he says (implying Odysseian stop-overs) then by the time you arrive, your quest for self-knowledge will have been fulfilled. read more

The Cage and the Wings of History The Byzantine Empire and Emperor Constantine’s ‘new Rome’ has held a lifelong fascination for John Ash, and the concerns in his seventh collection, In The Wake Of The Day , are no exception. read more

Ash's particular insouciance of manner owes much to the American poets whose influence he has absorbed. read more

For the past 14 years John Ash has lived in Istanbul, and most of the poems in his seventh collection are immersed in the histories and landscapes of Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean and laced with his typically acerbic playfulness. read more

The first century B.C. read more

John Ash’s new book is not ‘fiendishly gay / (in both senses of the term)’. read more

The first century B.C. read more

William Wootten, the Guardian , 19 May 2007
The Parthian Stations
John Ash's poetry might seem an indulgence. read more

The Economist
Poetic inspiration
A Byzantine journey
Back in the days when John Ash was a rising English poet of the New York School, critics either loved his stiletto wit or loathed it as 'camp disdain'. read more

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John Ash Books by this author: In the Wake of the Day The Parthian Stations The Anatolikon and To the City Selected Poems Burnt Pages Disbelief The Branching Stairs The Goodbyes About Reviews JOHN ASH was born in Manchester in 1948 and read English at the University of Birmingham. He lived for a year in Cyprus, and in Manchester between 1970 and 1985, before moving to New York. Since 1996 he has lived in Istanbul. His poetry has appeared in many publications including the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Village Voice, Oasis, PN Review and Paris Review. Two of his Carcanet collections, The Goodbyes (1982) and Disbelief (1987) were Poetry Book Society Choices. He has also written two books about Turkey, A Byzantine Journey and Turkey: The Other Guide. In 'Difficult' John Ash says that poetry is always difficult, like 'a maladjusted child', but that he increasingly thinks it should be difficult for the poet rather than the reader. read more As a 'book of memories and journeys', John Ash's latest collection In The Wake Of The Day seems to be underpinned by Cavafy's paradox in the poem 'Ithaca', which says that the journey is more important than the goal: if you do not hurry, he says (implying Odysseian stop-overs) then by the time you arrive, your quest for self-knowledge will have been fulfilled. read more The Cage and the Wings of History The Byzantine Empire and Emperor Constantine’s ‘new Rome’ has held a lifelong fascination for John Ash, and the concerns in his seventh collection, In The Wake Of The Day , are no exception. read more Ash's particular insouciance of manner owes much to the American poets whose influence he has absorbed. read more For the past 14 years John Ash has lived in Istanbul, and most of the poems in his seventh collection are immersed in the histories and landscapes of Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean and laced with his typically acerbic playfulness. read more The first century B.C. read more John Ash’s new book is not ‘fiendishly gay / (in both senses of the term)’. read more The first century B.C. read more William Wootten, the Guardian , 19 May 2007 The Parthian Stations John Ash's poetry might seem an indulgence. read more The Economist Poetic inspiration A Byzantine journey Back in the days when John Ash was a rising English poet of the New York School, critics either loved his stiletto wit or loathed it as 'camp disdain'. read more	Share this... Quick Links Aspects of Portugal Audio Books Carcanet Fiction Carcanet Film Carcanet Poetry Comma Press FyfieldBooks Lintott Press Lives and Letters OxfordPoets PN Review Sheep Meadow Press The Carcanet Blog Book Launch: Distance and Memory by Peter Davidson read more Sam Ruddock: Bibliodiversity read more Lucy Burnett: An Eco-poetic Sensibility read more Chris Beckett: Looking for Abebe, the cook's son read more Richard Price: A Month in Portugal read more Let's Gimbal! read more
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