Frederick Turner

Frederick Turner (born 1943) is an English–American poet affiliated with the literary movement known as New Formalism. He is the author of two full-length science fiction epic poems, The New World and Genesis; several books of his poetry and literary translations; and a number of other works. He has been called "a major poet of our time". Early life and education Born in Northamptonshire, England, Turner is the son of Scottish cultural anthropologist Victor Witter Turner and English anthropologist Edith Turner. He had four siblings. His brothers include scientist Robert Turner and anthropologist Rory Turner, who teaches at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland. In an interview with William Baer, Turner recalled, "In fact, my father wanted to be a poet", but chose to be an anthropologist to provide for his family. Turner added, "He used to say to me that I'd become a poet because he'd always wanted to be one." Childhood in Africa In 1952, Turner's father accepted an assignment funded by the Rhodes-Livingstone Institute to study the Eastern Ndembu people of Northern Rhodesia. While talking with Baer, Turner recalled the voyage, "...it was a marvellous seven days on the ocean, sailing down the Atlantic Ocean and seeing Ascension Island and all the other sights along the way."