Eddie Linden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eddie Linden
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Linden in 1985
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John Edward Glackin
5 May 1935 Motherwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland
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| Died | 19 November 2023 (aged 88) Maida Vale, London, England
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Eddie Linden (born John Edward Glackin; 5 May 1935 – 19 November 2023) was a Scottish-Irish poet, a person who writes poems. He was also an editor for a poetry magazine and an activist who worked for social and political change. From 1969 to 2002, Eddie Linden published and edited his own poetry magazine called Aquarius. This magazine was very important for new poets from Britain, Ireland, and other countries. Many people said that Aquarius helped new writers grow and share their work.
Contents
Early Life and Challenges
Eddie Linden was born John Edward Glackin in Motherwell, Scotland, on 5 May 1935. His birth parents were Elizabeth Glackin and Joseph Watters. He was later adopted by Mary Glenn and Eddie Linden, a coal miner, who he considered his real parents. He grew up in Bellshill and was raised in the Roman Catholic faith.
When Eddie was nine years old, his adoptive mother Mary died. His adoptive father married again, but Eddie's new stepmother did not like him. She sent him to an orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity. He went to school at Holy Family school in Mossend and St Patrick's school in New Stevenston.
At 14, Eddie left the orphanage and was often without a home. He worked in a coal mine and then a steel mill. He also worked at Hamilton West railway station collecting tickets. He was not allowed to join the army because he was too thin and had a stomach problem.
Working for Change: Political Activism
Eddie Linden became interested in politics and writing when he joined the Young Communist League as a teenager. He learned a lot about literature and society through their classes. He later said this helped him explore his abilities and get away from a difficult life.
In 1958, when he was in his early 20s, Eddie moved to London. He worked as a porter at St Pancras railway station. There, he met a Catholic priest named Anthony Ross. Ross encouraged Eddie to join peace protests. Eddie became involved with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which worked to stop the use of nuclear weapons. He also joined the Catholic Worker movement.
Eddie helped start the Catholic Nuclear Disarmament Group. He became its secretary. This group wanted to show that nuclear bombs were wrong. They sent a letter to a French leader to protest a nuclear test. In 1959, their banner was seen at a big peace march called the Aldermaston Marches.
By 1966, Eddie was less active in politics and went to study in Oxford. In 1963, he also helped start the Simon Community. This is a charity that helps people who are homeless.
Political Parties Eddie Joined
In his mid-teens, Eddie Linden joined the Independent Labour Party. He then joined the Young Communist League, which he found very helpful for learning. He later realized he was not a communist.
Eddie then joined the Labour Party and remained a member for the rest of his life. He supported Keir Starmer in the 2020 election for Labour leader.
Eddie Linden's Literary Career
The Aquarius Magazine
Eddie Linden started organizing poetry readings at a pub in Covent Garden. In 1969, he launched his poetry magazine, Aquarius. He got help from famous poets like John Heath-Stubbs and a donation from playwright Harold Pinter. Other poets like George Barker and Peter Porter also let their poems be published for free. The first issue included poems by Heath-Stubbs, Barker, Stevie Smith, and Kathleen Raine.
The magazine came out every few years and had 26 issues in total. Aquarius published works by many important poets, including Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes, and Kathleen Jamie. Eddie raised money to keep the magazine going. He even received £5 every Christmas from the famous poet John Betjeman for "good old Aquarius".
In 1976, Eddie organized a poetry reading at the Houses of Parliament. Many poets read their work there. Aquarius often had special issues focusing on poetry from different places, like Ireland, Scotland, Australia, and Canada.
In 1991, the magazine was in danger of closing. A Member of Parliament even asked about it in the House of Commons. This led to a grant of £2000, and Aquarius continued. In 1992, they published Aquarius Women, a special issue with poems by women writers like Carol Ann Duffy and Jackie Kay.
Many people praised Aquarius. One journalist called Eddie "a butler to literature," meaning he served literature well. Another called it the best poetry magazine in Britain. Eddie edited Aquarius from his small flat until 2002.
In 2005, a special book called Eddie's Own Aquarius was published to honor Eddie Linden. It included tributes from friends and poems from writers who had appeared in his magazine, such as Seamus Heaney.
Eddie as a Poet
Besides publishing other poets, Eddie Linden also wrote his own poems and gave readings. One of his poems, "City of Razors," remembers the difficult times of his youth in Glasgow. He had been writing poems since he was a teenager.
His first collection of poems, City of Razors, was published in 1980. It was praised by Harold Pinter and others. The Guardian newspaper said Eddie was a poet who showed a "trusting helplessness before the world."
In 1981, Eddie read his poem "Hampstead by Night" at an event called Poets against the Bomb. This event was filmed, so people can still see his performance today. His poem "A Sunday in Cambridge" was included in The Penguin Book of Homosexual Verse in 1983. His second book of poems, A Thorn in the Flesh, came out in 2011. Eddie read his poems on many radio stations and at live events in different countries.
Tributes and Cultural Depictions
In 1979, a biography about Eddie Linden called Who Is Eddie Linden was published. It was written by Sebastian Barker and had drawings by Ralph Steadman. This book later inspired a play of the same name in 1995. The play was performed in London and received good reviews.
Eddie Linden was also the subject of several portraits. In 1975, he was photographed by Harry Diamond. In 1985, he was photographed by Granville Davies. Both of these pictures are now in the National Portrait Gallery in London. In 2005, photographer Eamonn McCabe took his picture for The Guardian.
In 2015, a party was held to celebrate Eddie's 80th birthday. He read some of his poems at the party. A poet named Hilary Davies described Eddie as "loyal and non-judgmental." He was also given a portrait of himself by artist Luke Canavan. In 2018, another oil painting of Eddie by Canavan was shown at an art exhibition in London.
Other poets have written about Eddie Linden in their work. These include "The Ballad of Eddie Linden at Earl's Court" by Ken Smith and "Incident in Exeter Station" by Matthew Sweeney.
Later Life and Passing
In 2020, Eddie Linden was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, a condition that affects memory. He passed away on 19 November 2023, in a care home in London, at the age of 88. His funeral took place on 8 December.
The Irish Times newspaper wrote that with Eddie's death, "a whole era in postwar British poetry has come to a close."
Works by Eddie Linden
- City of Razors and other poems, Jay Landesman, 1980
- A Thorn in the Flesh: Selected Poems, Hearing Eye, 2011
See also
- List of English-language poets
- List of Scottish poets
- List of Scottish writers
Images for kids
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Linden in 1985
