Background
Millett, John Antill was born on February 3, 1921 in Sydney, Australia. Son of John Millett and Doris Ruth Antill.
Millett, John Antill was born on February 3, 1921 in Sydney, Australia. Son of John Millett and Doris Ruth Antill.
He then went to study law at Sydney University graduating with Bachelor of Laws.
He was editor of Poetry Australia magazine from 1987 until its demise in 1992. Millett served in England during World World War II as a wireless air gunner with the all-Australian Royal Australian Air Force Number 10 Squadron, from which experience he wrote the popular Tail Arse Charlie, also adapted for American Broadcasting Company Radio. After the war he worked in the Repatriation Department.
His book Blue Dynamite was Dramatized By Bradley R. Strahan (Editor of Visions International, where he had been regularly published) with the assistance of the Source theater group in Washington, District of Columbia where it was performed at several venues in 1988, including the Australian Embassy.
From 1962 he has been involved with Poetry Australia, advising on legal and accountancy matters then becoming editor from 1987. The magazine was conceptualised by Grace Perry to be international while maintaining an Australian presence.
International contributors included Ezra Pound, Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney, Richard Murphy, Robert Peters and Margaret Atwood. Translations included early Russian poets by Rosemary Dobson and David Campbell, Laurence Springarn"s translations from Portuguese and Mark Scrivener"s translations of German classics.
Poetry Australia also published special issues of New Zealand, Canadian, Italian, Japanese, Dutch and Flemish, American, Gaelic, French, Austrian, Swedish and Papua New Guinean poetry.
John Millett continued as editor until 1992 when Poetry Australia ceased production. Millett subsequently helped to establish the Poetry Australia Fund and this fund was instrumental in the establishment in 2002 of the magazine "Blue Dog: Australian Poetry", which editor Ron Pretty declares is in "direct line of succession from Poetry Australia". His poetry has been likened to that of Kenneth Slessor.
He became a member the Gold Coast Writers’ Association.
He was also honored in 1999 with an Order of Australia for services to Literature.
With Royal Air Force, 1941-1946.
Married Enid Simshauser (divorced 1961). Married Marion Beatrice Moss, 1961. Children: Scott, Shelley, Michelle.