Thankfulness and praise run through the poetry of P.J. Kavanagh, who has died aged 84. His first wife, Sally, died suddenly when he was just 27, and he felt that after having been dealt this devastating blow the rest of his life had been a series of compensations. He was to settle in Gloucestershire and find increasing happiness in a second marriage, raising two sons with his wife, Kate, and clawing his way back to a wry sort of joy through the camaraderie of acting and the solitary search for the right word as a poet and writer.He was born, during the Great Depression, to Agnes and Ted Kavanagh, who had abandoned his medical studies to become a writer. His childhood was spent shuffling between boarding houses until his father’s fortunes were transformed by the huge success of the w
24 September 2015, The Tablet
Obituary – P.J. Kavanagh
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login