Barrie Phillip Nichol, who often went by his lower-case initials and last name, with no spaces (bpNichol), was a Canadian poet born in Vancouver in 1944. He became widely known for his concrete poetry in the 1960s. Concrete, pattern, or shape poetry is ... »
Barrie Phillip Nichol, who often went by his lower-case initials and last name, with no spaces (bpNichol), was a Canadian poet born in Vancouver in 1944. He became widely known for his concrete poetry in the 1960s. Concrete, pattern, or shape poetry is an arrangement of linguistic elements in which the typographical effect is more important in conveying meaning than verbal significance. The words are arranged in such a way as to depict their subject.
Nichol received his elementary teaching certificate from the University of British Columbia in 1963, but he only worked a brief stint as a teacher.
His most famous published work is probably The Martyrology, a long poem encompassing nine books in six volumes. In The Martyrology different ways of speaking testify to a journey through different ways of being.
Nichol also worked in a wide variety of other genres, including musical theatre, children's books, collage/assemblage, pamphlets, spoken word, computer texts, fiction, and television. Sadly, B.P. Nichol died due to complications following routine back surgery in September of 1988. Despite having such a brief lifespan, Nichol was highly prolific and produced a substantial volume of work.
«
