My thanks to the Lone Ranger
Tony Frazer appeared from the west when he returned to Britain from Mexico City, the last of his overseas postings in the banking industry. He arrived immaculately dressed wearing the best (and most discrete) cowboy boots with a fine silver belt-buckle holding up his perfectly worn blue jeans. With the years his style changed, but it always has a genuine elegance. The care and attention to everyday things carried over into his publishing of poetry. Indeed he’s unique as a publisher both in what he chooses and how he publishes those books. His imagination and wide ranging enthusiasm for poetry past and present are a lesson for us all about what actually matters.
In the early days of the 1990s Shearsman magazine always had a Plymouth holding address. The reality was that it was edited and printed (with a few interesting typos) in many different countries, Chile to Macau to Mexico and beyond. Wherever Tony was working. Such frequent moves reflect perfectly the mix of poetry he’s brought out over the years. The range of books, especially of translating, is unequalled. Through him I’ve discovered, for example, the marvels of Gloria Gervitz’s ‘Migrations’ and Carmen Bugan’s ‘The House of Straw’. There are so many poets, whether English language or foreign language, that he’s introduced me to, that have greatly enriched my reading. Who else would have had the intelligence to bring out the much needed ‘Collected Poems’ of Gael Turnbull? He’s even rescued poets like myself from oblivion.
Happy Birthday, Tony. Thank you.
Tony Frazer appeared from the west when he returned to Britain from Mexico City, the last of his overseas postings in the banking industry. He arrived immaculately dressed wearing the best (and most discrete) cowboy boots with a fine silver belt-buckle holding up his perfectly worn blue jeans. With the years his style changed, but it always has a genuine elegance. The care and attention to everyday things carried over into his publishing of poetry. Indeed he’s unique as a publisher both in what he chooses and how he publishes those books. His imagination and wide ranging enthusiasm for poetry past and present are a lesson for us all about what actually matters.
In the early days of the 1990s Shearsman magazine always had a Plymouth holding address. The reality was that it was edited and printed (with a few interesting typos) in many different countries, Chile to Macau to Mexico and beyond. Wherever Tony was working. Such frequent moves reflect perfectly the mix of poetry he’s brought out over the years. The range of books, especially of translating, is unequalled. Through him I’ve discovered, for example, the marvels of Gloria Gervitz’s ‘Migrations’ and Carmen Bugan’s ‘The House of Straw’. There are so many poets, whether English language or foreign language, that he’s introduced me to, that have greatly enriched my reading. Who else would have had the intelligence to bring out the much needed ‘Collected Poems’ of Gael Turnbull? He’s even rescued poets like myself from oblivion.
Happy Birthday, Tony. Thank you.
