Rudi Holzapfel 1938-2005

poet, scholar and bookdealer

Leeds, England, 1966-1969
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In 1966 Rudi started to work on his Ph.D. at Leeds University on the Irish poet James Clarence Mangan. Arts funds being cut under the new government, he had to start earning a living, first as a second-hand book dealer, later by teaching English Literature in German, all the while writing poetry and publishing privately.

His ‘foreigner’s ear’ with its distance from the English language, his realisation of its multitude of idioms and punning possibilities, all made for eager experimentation and often funny and ironic use of English, thematically coupled with a strong dislike for hidden agendas in politics and the media machinery.

Later, his mistrust of the powers that cheated the underdog often turned into long rants against power groups in politics and public life. He always enjoyed a good fight over politics with friend and foe; but whatever the philosophical or political abyss that lay between them, he’d usually end it with “Oh, come on, let’s have a cup of tea...”

In 1970 Rudi returned to Ireland until he left for Germany in 1971

Leeds, England

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Leeds 1966-1969, with Emlie