Seán Hewitt FRSL (born 1990) is a poet, lecturer and literary critic.[1] In 2023, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.[2]

Seán Hewitt

Born1990
Warrington, UK
OccupationPoet, lecturer, critic
NationalityBritish, Irish
CitizenshipBritish, Irish
EducationUniversity of Cambridge
University of Liverpool
GenrePoetry
Literary criticism
Notable worksTongues of Fire
All Down Darkness Wide
Notable awardsRooney Prize for Irish Literature
The Laurel Prize
Eric Gregory Award
Resurgence Prize
Website
www.seanehewitt.com

Biography edit

Seán Hewitt was born in Warrington, UK, to an Irish mother and English father.[3] He studied English at Girton College, Cambridge.[4][5]

Hewitt received his PhD, on the works of J. M. Synge, from the Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool.[6] He lives in Dublin, where he lectures at Trinity College Dublin.[7]

Hewitt was awarded an Eric Gregory Award in 2019, and won the world's biggest ecopoetry award, the Resurgence Prize, in 2017.[8][9] He also received a Northern Writers' Award in 2016.[10] Hewitt was listed as one of The Sunday Times "30 under 30" artists in Ireland in 2020.[11] His debut collection of poems, Tongues of Fire, won The Laurel Prize in 2021. He was awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature in 2022.[12]

Works edit

Hewitt's debut collection, Tongues of Fire, was published by Jonathan Cape in 2020.[13][14]

Tongues of Fire was released to critical acclaim.[15] It won The Laurel Prize in 2021,[16] and was shortlisted for The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, 2020, the John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize, 2021, and the Dalkey Literary Award (Emerging Writer), 2021.[17][18][19] It was Poetry Book of the Month in The Observer,[20] and a Book of the Year in The Guardian,[21] The Irish Times,[22] The Spectator,[23] Attitude,[24] and the Irish Independent,[25] and was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation.[26] The Sunday Times wrote of Hewitt that "his poetry will stand the test of time".[27] Booker Prize shortlisted novelist Max Porter describes Hewitt as "an exquisitely calm and insightful lyric poet, reverential in nature and gorgeously wise in the field of human drama."[28] Tongues of Fire is a book of lyric poetry, and explores queer sexuality, grief, and the natural world.[29][30][31]

Hewitt's book-length study of the Irish playwright, poet and travel writer J. M. Synge, J.M. Synge: Nature, Politics, Modernism, is published by Oxford University Press.[32]

Hewitt's memoir, All Down Darkness Wide, was published in 2022.[33]

Awards edit

Bibliography edit

  • Rapture's Road (Jonathan Cape, 2024)
  • 300,000 Kisses: Tales of Queer Love from the Ancient World, with Luke Edward Hall (Penguin, 2023)
  • All Down Darkness Wide (Jonathan Cape (UK) and Penguin Press (USA), 2022)
  • Buile Suibhne / Seán Hewitt, wood engravings by Amy Jeffs (Rochdale, England: Fine Press Poetry, 2021)
  • J.M. Synge: Nature, Politics, Modernism (Oxford University Press, 2021)
  • Tongues of Fire (Jonathan Cape, 2020)
  • Lantern (Offord Road Books, 2019)

References edit

  1. ^ "Seán Hewitt". www.penguin.co.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  2. ^ Creamer, Ella (12 July 2023). "Royal Society of Literature aims to broaden representation as it announces 62 new fellows". The Guardian.
  3. ^ "RTÉ Radio Player". www.rte.ie. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  4. ^ "I poeti irlandesi Seán Hewitt e James Conor Patterson vincono gli Eric Gregory Awards". Les Enfants Terribles (in Italian). Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  5. ^ "The Year 2012". Issuu. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Irish Studies student wins major poetry prize - Articles - Institute of Irish Studies - University of Liverpool". www.liverpool.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Dr Seán Hewitt". Trinity College Dublin. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  8. ^ Doyle, Martin (17 June 2019). "Irish poets Seán Hewitt and James Conor Patterson win Eric Gregory Awards". The Irish Times. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  9. ^ "News | The Society of Authors". societyofauthors.org. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Announcing the winners of the Northern Writers' Awards 2016". Northern Writers Awards. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  11. ^ Barter, Pavel (3 May 2020). "30 under 30: Ireland's most promising artists". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  12. ^ Doyle, Martin (27 October 2022). "Seán Hewitt awarded 2022 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Seán Hewitt". www.penguin.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  14. ^ "The Nan Shepherd Prize – Interview with Seán Hewitt". nanshepherdprize.com. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  15. ^ "RTÉ Radio Player". www.rte.ie. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  16. ^ "The Laurel Prize 2021 – Winners! » Simon Armitage | The Official Website". Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  17. ^ team, Code8. "Seán Hewitt". Young Writer of the Year Award. Retrieved 1 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ Doyle, Martin (15 April 2021). "Irish writers longlisted for Desmond Elliott Prize and RSL Ondaatje Prize". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Emerging Writer Award Shortlist 2021". www.zurich.ie. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  20. ^ Kellaway, Kate (12 May 2020). "Poetry book of the month: Tongues of Fire by Seán Hewitt – review". The Observer. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  21. ^ "Best poetry books of 2020". The Guardian. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  22. ^ Doyle, Martin. "Books of 2020: Max Porter, Emilie Pine, Sara Baume and more pick the best reads of the year so far". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  23. ^ "Books of the Year II — chosen by our regular reviewers | the Spectator". www.spectator.co.uk. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  24. ^ "The 20 best LGBTQ books of 2020". Attitude.co.uk. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  25. ^ "The best books of 2020". independent. 6 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  26. ^ a b "Summer 2020 Selections". The Poetry Book Society. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  27. ^ Wright, Bert (31 May 2020). "Tongues of Fire by Seán Hewitt review". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  28. ^ Doyle, Martin. "Books of 2020: Max Porter, Emilie Pine, Sara Baume and more pick the best reads of the year so far". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  29. ^ Hewitt, Seán. "Seán Hewitt: I would give all my poems to have my father back". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  30. ^ Boland, Eavan (2019). "Featured Poet: Seán Hewitt". Poetry Ireland Review. 127: 66 – via Complementary Index.
  31. ^ "RTÉ Poetry Programme: John F. Deane and Seán Hewitt". 10 April 2020. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  32. ^ Hewitt, Seán (7 January 2021). J.M. Synge: Nature, Politics, Modernism. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-886209-3.
  33. ^ "Cape snaps up 'exquisite' memoir from Hewitt | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  34. ^ Times, The Sunday. "The Sunday Times/University of Warwick Young Writer of the Year award 2020: shortlist announced". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  35. ^ "Summer 2019 Selections". The Poetry Book Society. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  36. ^ "Irish Research Council announces 2019 'Researchers of the Year'". Irish Research Council. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  37. ^ "First Prize: Ilex by Seán Hewitt | Resurgence Poetry Prize". Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  38. ^ "Seán Hewitt wins 2017 Resurgence Poetry Prize – The Poetry Society". poetrysociety.org.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2020.