Norman Nicholson
|
|
Norman Nicholson (1914 – 1987) was an English poet, known for his association with the Cumbrian town of Millom. His poetry is noted for its local concerns, straightforwardness of language and inclusion of elements of common speech.
| Contents |
Life
Nicholson was born in a Victorian terraced house in the small industrial town of Millom in Cumbria, on the edge of the Lake District. He was to live in the same house for most of his life and only left his native town once. He wore large and distinctive side whiskers which gave him a slightly eccentric air. His writing career stretched from 1940 up until the time of his death. He was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1977, and the OBE in 1981. His works include the typically titled Rock Face (1948) and the later Sea to the West (1981). A memorial to the poet can be found in St Georges church in Millom in the form of a specially commissioned stained glass window.
Work
Nicholson's work is characterised by the simplicity and directness of his language. He attempted to write in the vernacular of the common people in his native town. Much of his work concerned mining, quarrying and ironworks—the dominant industries in his area. Religion and faith was another aspect of his work. His poetry also abounds with direct quotations from everyday life, skilfully weaved into the body of the poem. The opening of Old Man at a Cricket Match, is typical:
'It's mending worse.' He said, Bending west his head . . .
Nicholson is not generally associated with any of the poetic movements of the twentieth century. Rather, like Charles Causley, he seems to be considered more of an isolated figure, working on his poetry outside of the mainstream of poetic trends. Perhaps because of this, Nicholson's work has received relatively little critical attention. He is not without his admirers though. Seamus Heaney has said "Nicholson's diction and images realise the texture and pieties of a whole way of life….A domestic world of bereavements and nostalgias, riddles and catch-phrases, is caught in poems that are half-humorous, half-melancholy written in a relaxed and colloquial style."
Publications
- Five rivers (1944)
- Rock Face (1948)
- The pot geranium (1954)
- A local habitation (1972)
- Sea to the west (1981)
External Links
Nicholson in Millom (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/enjoy_cumbria/famous_people/norman_nicholson.shtml)