Anthony Joseph Q&A: “I’ve collected around 30,000 vinyl records”

The poet on Chris Ofili and a fascination with reality TV.

Anthony Joseph was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in 1966. He is an award-winning poet, novelist, musician and academic. His book Sonnets for Albert was awarded the TS Eliot Prize in 2023.

What’s your earliest memory?

Probably playing on the varnished floorboards of our house in Trinidad while the radio was on in the background playing “Up, Up and Away”by the 5th Dimension.

What book last changed your thinking?

Walpola Rahula’s What the Buddha Taught. It’s a classic introductory text to Buddhist thought. It was originally published in 1959 and is still in print. I picked it up at the airport in Sri Lanka earlier this year. It’s beautifully written, clear and insightful.

Who are your heroes?

I don’t really remember having a childhood hero, except perhaps my father, who, by not being around, became a kind of myth. His appearances were always exciting.

What would be your “Mastermind” specialist subject?

I’m a vinyl junkie. I’ve collected records since I was a child and have around 30,000 (I’m leaving them to my children). So I guess outside of poetry that’s my area of expertise. Music in general, but I could do well on jazz, soul and calypso music.

In which time and place, other than your own, would you like to live?

I’ve been lucky enough to live through some pretty cool decades, but maybe being in a city like Chicago during the late 1960s and early 1970s would be interesting. You’d have to deal with some heavy race politics, but there was a lot going on with black creativity in music, fashion, art and poetry, and much of that was about resistance through innovation.

Who would paint your portrait?

The Turner Prize winner Chris Ofili.

What’s your theme tune?

“Venus de Milo” by Prince.

What TV show could you not live without?

During Covid we got addicted to watching Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court. DNA test results delivered on TV, with a studio audience. Fascinating, but moving.

What’s currently bugging you?

I won’t say it’s a bug, but I am increasingly concerned about the world I’m leaving my children and grandchildren. I’ve experienced Trinidad, for instance, becoming hotter and hotter over the years. There’s a sense of helplessness about the climate. A lot of what’s being lost from nature feels irreversible, which saddens me.

What single thing would make your life better?

Nothing. Definitely nothing material. As George Clinton says, “Free your mind and your ass will follow. The kingdom of Heaven is within.”

When were you happiest?

Besides the birth of my daughters? I can think of two moments. My first return to Trinidad in 1990, after leaving the year before. Coming through the orange clouds at dusk, hovering above the island – that was beautiful. Secondly, those three seconds of hearing Sonnets for Albert announced as the winner of the TS Eliot Prize, and the immediate moments after were quite special, overwhelming even. I had a sudden realisation that I’d made the right sacrifices.