I was sorry to hear of the death, earlier this week, of the poet Douglas Houston. Douglas was Welsh but also spent time in Scotland and Hull. It was Hull where he researched poetry and became one of the contributors to the influential book 1982 Bloodaxe book A Rumoured City which included so many important Hull poets or poets from Hull who would later become important. Douglas's last collection was Beyond the Playing Field: Selected Poems (Shoestring). He appeared in the Five Leaves successor book of Hull poets, Old City, New Rumours (2010) and is of course included in our forthcoming 2013 book of Yorkshire poets edited by Ian Parks. His 'Sunday on the Cuillin' in Old City ends 'Better for knowing you, poised on the sense / That we'll never meet again, / Though tracks and chances might allow we will, / Some other day, some other hill.' Our condolences to his family.
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9 comments:
Douglas was one of nature's gentleman. He was the embodiment of old school; courteous, good-humoured and full of whimsy.
I'm glad his last days were so full of happiness and joy. and it's so bitter-sweet that he had such a short time with his bride, Lynne.
My deepest sympathy to Lynne and his kids. I have few friends and he was the best of them.
Thanks, James, for your comments. Like so many writers who I meet through this job I would have liked to have known him better than I did. And he was - by modern standards - young, which makes it shocking.
I was shocked to hear of his early death. I knew Douglas when he was in Hull and he really was the loveliest bloke you could wish to meet. I never heard anyone say a bad word of him. He'll be missed, as a person and as a poet.
Blimey, that's a shock... stumbled onto here by accident to discover this sad news from a few months ago. I met Doug back in Aberystwyth in the nineties via the American Studies Department at UCW there and got to know him well. Chaos seemed to follow him, let it be said, but he was fun and incredibly erudite, great company. And let it be said: a vastly underrated poet...
I knew Douglas for many years, from when he lived in Aberdare and through his tumultuous and disastrous marriage that took him to Spain. A good friend, a gentle caring man I am devastated to hear of his death and had no idea he had re married. Its a great shame when friends lose touch and the loss of Douglas is great. I hope he found happiness with Lynn, he deserved it.
Thanks for this, Maggie
Thanks for them kind words, im his second child. X
Duggie the alcoholic stoner... But he was out there man he saw the beauty of the world an the misery he lived his life from extatic highs to glacial lows, Dragged up 4 beautiful Kids an was the most loving guy ive met miss u Da x
I was at school with Doug in the 1960s and we played in a band together for a while, the nucleus of which all went to the Glyn County Grammar school Epsom, Surrey. In those days, Doug was a very carefree spirit, rather haram scaram. After we left the 6th form, we wen tour separate ways and I never heard about him until a chance reunion through "Friends Reunited" in the late 2000s via his ex-wife. We then kept in touch until his tragic death just before Xmas 2012. Although we had not communicated with each other since we were 18, the years just rolled away and he was the Doug I had always known. I miss him very much.
Merry Xmas Doug!
Your old mate Jim
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