Mick Imlah, 1956-2009

On January 12, 2009, the English poet and editor Mick Imlah died at age 52. He was the author of two books, Birthmarks (1988) and The Lost Leader (2008). After graduating from Oxford with a first (top grade) in 1979, Imlah helped revive Oxford Poetry. He became poetry editor of the Times Literary Supplement in 1993. As Mark  Ford notes in his Guardian obituary, "Imlah was in fact blessed not only with astonishing literary talent, but with the looks of a movie star. He was, in addition, a formidable amateur rugby and cricket player; both sports feature often in his poems. For more of Ford's obituary read here.