Roy Fisher Archive

Sukey Fisher: Foreword

On Roy Fisher’s behalf, welcome to this strand of his afterlife - he’d be entertained at the delays, beyond anyone’s control, getting his posthumous existence underway. Being late for your own funeral (he wasn’t, generally he was an excellent timekeeper) turns out to be the easy part.

Roy liked this sort of project, friendly enough to be open to whoever fancies it, not striving to belong to a mainstream but ready to take its place in the academy if that’s ever useful. He read every Powys Society newsletter, for example, in that spirit. It kept important things live and was sociable too. Roy loved gossip and was a considerable one himself. Whether he was OK to become the story is another question. Approaching the end of his life he was very comfortable with his body of work being out there on the record and was clear-eyed about what he’d done and its relative merits. Suppressions and excisions had been decided long ago.

As Peter Robinson continues to discover, the same applied to his extensive notebooks and correspondence: Roy gave the impression for years that he’d burned them or shortly would, but the archive as Peter and I found it makes clear that wasn’t what he really meant. He knew we’d be the first finders. He knew what we’re like and will certainly have anticipated our delight at the treasure house on our hands. But then realise he’d got in there before us to redact, though sparingly.

Roy never to my knowledge felt he had the right to tell anyone else how to live, and though he took the piss widely wasn’t censorious. It just seems right to apply the same principle to the material he left behind and let posthumous Roy have a wander round (he called it going out for a snoop) and find his own level. In the company of good friends who don’t switch off their critical faculties feels an ideal place to start. So afterlife, begin!