This Goodly Land

John Finlay (January 24, 1941–February 17, 1991)

Other Names Used

• John Martin Finlay: full name

Alabama Connections

• Ozark, Dale County: birthplace
• Enterprise, Coffee County: childhood residence, adult residence
• Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County: education
• Montevallo, Shelby County: adult residence

Selected Works

• Finlay, John. Mind and Blood: The Collected Poems of John Finlay. Ed. David Middleton. Santa Barbara: J. Daniel, 1992.
• Finlay, John. Hermetic Light: Essays on the Gnostic Spirit in Modern Literature and Thought. Ed. David Middleton. Santa Barbara: J. Daniel, 1994.

Biographical Information

John Finlay was born in Ozark, Ala., and grew up on his family’s farm near Enterprise. As a boy, he loved to read Shakespeare, and he sometimes recited passages from the plays while caring for his family’s dairy cows. Finlay attended the University of Alabama, earning a BA in 1964 and an MA in 1966, both in English. Following graduation, he taught for four years at the University of Montevallo. In 1970, Finlay enrolled in the doctoral program at Louisiana State University. He earned his PhD in 1980, the same year he converted to Roman Catholicism. In 1981, Finlay returned to his family’s farm and remained there for the rest of his life, engaged in writing and scholarship. Three chapbooks of his poems were privately published during this period. Finlay was diagnosed with AIDS in 1982 and died in 1991. Collections of his poems and his essays were published posthumously.

Interests and Themes

Major subjects and concerns of John Finlay’s poems include Southern history and culture, religion, and ancient civilizations. His scholarly essays examine Western literature and philosophy.

For More Information

Please check your local library for these materials. If items are not available locally, your librarian can help you borrow them through the InterLibrary Loan program. Your librarian can also help you find other information about this author.

There may be more information available through the databases in the Alabama Virtual Library. If you are an Alabama citizen, AVL can be used at your public library or school library media center. You can also get a username and password from your librarian to use AVL at home.

Reference Books

• Middleton, David, ed. In Light Apart: The Achievement of John Finlay. Glenside, Pa.: Aldine Press, 1999.

Reference Articles

• Middleton, David. "Blood and Mind: John Finlay (1941-1991)". Southern Review 27.3. (1991): 723-726.
• Simpson, Lewis P. "The Dark Rooms of John Finlay". Southern Review 27.3. (1991): 727-729.
• Stanford, Donald E. "The Poetry of John Finlay". Southern Review 27.3. (1991): 730-732.

Reference Web Sites

• Middleton, David. "John Finlay". The Encyclopedia of Alabama. 2009. Alabama Humanities Foundation and Auburn University. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2342.

Location of Papers

• Louisiana State University

Photo courtesy of Jean S. Finlay and JoAnn Hall.

Last updated on May 30, 2008.