John Hewitt - Herbert Art Gallery, Coventry, UK
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N 52° 24.428 W 001° 30.371
30U E 601615 N 5807371
John Hewitt, a renowned poet from Belfast, was Art Director of the Herbert Art Gallery from 1957-1972.
Waymark Code: WM9GMQ
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/19/2010
Views: 2
The plaque is on the south facing wall of the Art Gallery in the paved courtyard area.
The Herbert Art Galley has recently undergone a £20 million redevelopment and in 2010 won the Best Family Friendly Museum in Britain Award.
John Harold Hewitt (28 October 1907-22 June 1987), who was born in Belfast, Ireland, was the most significant Irish poet to emerge before the 1960s generation of poets that included Seamus Heaney, Derek Mahon and Michael Longley. He was appointed the first writer-in-residence at Queen's University Belfast in 1976. His collections include The Day of the Corncrake (1969) and Out of My Time: Poems 1969 to 1974 (1974). He was also made a Freeman of the City of Belfast in 1983, and was awarded honorary doctorates the University of Ulster and Queen's University Belfast.
Hewitt had an active political life, describing himself as "a man of the left", and was involved in the British Labour Party, the Fabian Society and the Belfast Peace League.
Hewitt left Northern Ireland to take up the position of Art Director at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry. While in Coventry, Hewitt started work on his unpublished autobiography, A North Light. He subsequently returned to Belfast on his retirement in 1972.
Website about the poet:
www.johnhewittsociety.org/index.php
Blue Plaque managing agency: Coventry Heritage Plaques
Individual Recognized: John Hewitt
Physical Address:
Herbert Art Gallery and Museum
Jordan Well
Coventry, West Midlands United Kningdom
CV1 5QP
Web Address: [Web Link]
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