James Kirkup in Japan: How living in Japan influenced the life and works of the internationally renowned poet and writer James Kirkup

James Kirkup (1918-2009) was a prolific English poet, translator and travel writer, having become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1962. After first visiting Japan in 1959, he was to be largely based there for the next 30 years of his life, holding various positions at Japanese Universities and producing many publications of both his own poetry as well as translations of Japanese works. His achievements in writing haiku, tanka and senryu were acknowledged by an invitation to the Imperial New Year Poetry Reading in 1997.

This event will begin with a short film introducing James Kirkup as a person and a writer, before moving on to a lecture considering the influence of his experiences in Japan. This will include readings from his poetry and translations, as well as a recording of James himself reading from his collectionZen Contemplations.

The lecture will be led by Dorothy Fleet, a life-long friend of James Kirkup, who is the Archivist and Curator of The James Kirkup Collection. She will be supported by Anne Sharpfrom South Shields Library and Adam Bell, from South Shields Museum, who jointly house the Collection.