Tyrone Williams (USA)

Richard Berengarten 80 Years Old

I first met Richard Berengarten at a seafood restaurant in Cincinnati Ohio. He’d been invited to read for us at Xavier University by my colleague Norman Finkelstein. Norman had a conflicting engagement that night so I was his substitute. Despite my misgivings about having dinner with someone I’d never met before – and to be honest, whose work I didn’t know – Richard made me feel like I was the guest, his dry humor rendering any awkwardness moot.

A couple of years later I was in England for a conference and Richard invited me to visit him and his partner Melanie at their home in Cambridge. He took me all over, showing me the green carpeted exterior of the university. We had “high lunch” there. Then we went back to his house to chat.

Afterwards I was more than happy to contribute an essay to his major poem, The Manager, in the collection Managing the Manager. But more than that, I was happy to receive his annual holiday greetings, which was usually a concrete poem he’d composed for the occasion. I will not forget Richard’s generosity and modesty, a model not only for all artists but also for all human beings. Happy birthday, Richard.

Photo: Tyrone Williams and Richard Berengarten at Bonefish Grill, Cincinnati, April 2012

Editors’ note

Tyrone Williams sent us this kind tribute for RB in December 2023. We are sad to announce that Tyrone died on 11 March 2024, aged 70, before publication of these pages. For fuller and richer information about Tyrone Williams’ work as poet, critic and scholar, see this memorial from colleagues at the University at Buffalo. See also this extensive review of his last book, Stilettos in a Rifle Range, by his fellow poet and long-time colleague at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Norman Finkelstein.

Back to introduction here.

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