Skipping the 'Classifications'

“At school, I was never given a sense that poetry was something flowery or light. It's a complex and controlled way of using language. Rhythms and the music of it are very important. But the difficulty is that poetry makes some kind of claim of honesty.” – Tobias Hill
 

Award-winning British poet, essayist, writer of short stories and novelist, Hill was born on this date in 1970.  He’s the type of writer who hates to be “classified” or put into any kind of box, although the accolades for his poetry sometimes puts that at the forefront.  His 2006 work, Nocturne in Chrome & Sunset Yellow, was described by London’s The Guardian as "A vital, luminous collection.”

That’s not to take anything away from his fiction.  His novels also have been widely acclaimed, particularly his 2009 mystery thriller The Hidden, listed by one reviewer as “a sustained meditation on the special ethics of terrorism in ancient and modern times.” 

Also a much sought-after lecturer and workshop teacher, he holds an appointment at Oxford Brookes University as the Senior Lecturer for the MA Creative Writing Course.

“People have expectations of what you are as a writer,” Hill said.  “And writers, on the whole, don't like to be classified.”

Share A Writer’s Moment with a friend by clicking the g+1 button below.