Miguel Cullen

Miguel Cullen is a British poet and journalist who lives in London.

Miguel Cullen
OccupationPoet, journalist
RelativesMichael Berry, Baron Hartwell (grandfather)
William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose (great-grandfather)
F. E. Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead (great-grandfather)
Francisco Hermógenes Ramos Mejía (great-great-great-great grandfather)
Francisco Bernabé Madero (great-great-great grandfather)

Background

Cullen's poetry derives from his mixed South American and British heritage. He spent long periods immersed in rave culture,[1] particularly Oldschool jungle.[2] When he lived in Bristol he would MC to Drum and bass and Reggae,[3] and become friends with Roni Size labelmate MC Tali. He would frequently return to Argentina, on trips to document Cumbia Villera and other subgenres.[4]

Poetry

Cullen's first collection of poetry, Wave Caps,[5][6][7][8] was a The Times Literary Supplement ‘Book of the Year’ in 2014.[9] The TLS praised its “streetsmart ventriloquism”, while an interview in Vice (magazine) [10] described it as “full of the lawless energy of late nights and early mornings, hop-scotching London’s jungle raves”.

Cullen's second collection, Paranoid Narcissism![11] was released in 2017. It was a London Evening Standard Book of the Year 2017.[12] The historian A.N. Wilson said of it: “Each of these subtly-crafted poems contains a surprise; each is a distinct work of art, with the power to shake, move, change us".[13] Poet Steven J Fowler said of it: "Lyrical, voluminously expressive, beautiful in their knotted, winding intensity – Miguel Cullen's poems are intricate, funny for everyone but you, unpleasantly bright and brilliant."

Cullen's poetry has been described as imagistic, inflected with urban vernacular, and preoccupied with iconic film and urban music references to create a delicate, interconnected world. The critic Ian Thomson (writer) compared him to Ezra Pound,[14] citing his "allusions from Greek mythology (colliding) with sound system culture (and) pavement pounding street demotic". The poet Simon Barraclough [15] compared his imagistic style to that of director Gaspar Noé.

Alteria Art, publishers of Paranoid Narcissism! also published the Artists' Book of ABCs, a book featuring the work of Grayson Perry, Joseph Kosuth, Tracey Emin and Jake and Dinos Chapman.[16]

Journalism

Cullen is arts editor for The Catholic Herald.[17] He has also published music and art journalism in Vice (magazine),[18] Wonderland magazine, The Independent,[19] The Daily Telegraph,[20][21] and The Quietus,;[22] including four cover features and in-depth documentary articles on Dub music, the Bristol underground scene, and the history of Black cinema in the UK for Clash (magazine),[23][24][25][26]

Cullen has also written one of the only formal literary interviews with American Modernist poet Frederick Seidel[27]

References

  1. Interview, Vice. "Vice interview". Vice. Vice. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  2. MCing, Birth of. "Feature on Birth of MCing". Knowledge Kmag. Knowledge. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  3. Sound System, Tape from. "MC Lito at Black Cat Sound System". YouTube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  4. YouTube Terrorist, Peruvian. "Vice feature on Peruvian YouTube Terrorist". Vice.com. Vice. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  5. "Wave Caps by Miguel Cullen". Literateur.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  6. "Wave Caps: Former hack turns poet". Eastendreview.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  7. "Making Waves » Erotic Review". Eroticreviewmagazine.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  8. "Wave Caps". Caughtbytheriver.net. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  9. "London's Junglist Bard Proves Poetry's for the People". Vice.com. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  10. Cullen, Miguel. "Review of Paranoid Narcissism!". The Catholic Herald. Catholic Herald. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  11. https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/books/the-best-books-of-2017-a3700101.html
  12. Press, Odilo. "Odilo Press Fan Page". Facebook. Facebook. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  13. Archived 2014-08-29 at the Wayback Machine
  14. Barraclough, Simon. "Simon Barraclough's website". Simon Barraclough. Simon Barraclough. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  15. "Easy as ABC: famous artists collaborate on children's colouring book". Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  16. "Author: Miguel Cullen - CatholicHerald.co.uk". CatholicHerald.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  17. "The Wu-Tang Clan Talk Obama, Gay Rap and ODB". Vice.com. 6 September 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  18. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. Cullen, Miguel (26 August 2010). "Don Letts interview". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  20. Cullen, Miguel (23 April 2010). "Matthew Herbert interview". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  21. Cullen, Miguel. "Interview with Jamaica-photographer Ivar Wigan". www.thequietus.com. The Quietus. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  22. "MIGUEL CULLEN ON THE BIRTH OF BLACK CINEMA IN THE UK – CLASH MAGAZINE". Miguelcullen4.wordpress.com. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  23. "Dread Beat And Blood - The DNA of Dub". Clashmusic.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  24. "Features". Clashmusic.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  25. "HACKNEY SOLDIERS" (PDF). Miguelcullen4.wordpress.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  26. Editora, Mardulce. "Interview with Frederick Seidel". www.mardulceeditora.com.ar. Mardulce Editora. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
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