AUGUSTUS YOUNG
Augustus
Young is the pen name of James
Hogan, who was born in Cork,
Ireland,
in 1943, worked in London
as an epidemiologist
and adviser to health authorities, and now lives in France.
Over the years as James
Hogan he published many scientific papers and numerous pieces of
medical
journalism.
As
Augustus Young, he is the
author of eight books of poetry, most recently Lightning in
Low Places (Cranagh
Press, University of Ulster 2000), and Days and
Nights in Hendon (Menard Press, 2002).
The
autofiction Light
Years (London Magazine Editions/ Menard Press 2002), his
first
full length work in prose, re-enacts Augustus Young’s
literary development as a
‘published poet’ from childhood days in Cork up to
nineteen sixties London:
‘I
haven’t laughed so much
since reading (Flann
O’Brien’s) The Third Policeman.’
(Alannah Hopkin, The
Irish Examiner)
This
was followed by Storytime
(Elliot and Thompson 2005), a humorously
satirical account of Augustus Young’s visit to Ireland
to launch his book Light
Years:
‘Young’s
unwillingness to
curry favour, which
makes him an outsider in the
literary world, adds spice to a wryly clever and sometimes touchingly
sweet
book. There’s honey in the wasp.’ (Brian Lynch, The
Irish Independent)
Numerous
stories and poems
have appeared over the years in anthologies and periodicals in Ireland,
America
and the UK
(Cyphers,
Sniper Logic, Books Ireland,
London
Magazine, Hopscotch, Modern Poetry in Translation, Leviathan Quarterly,
Arete
etc.) He is currently
featured extensively in the international journal Ars
Interpres.