Background
He was born on in Hensingham, Cumberland, England.
He was born on in Hensingham, Cumberland, England.
After briefly studying law at Selwyn College, Cambridge, he completed a psychology course at Birkbeck, University of London, before going on to study English at Durham University.
After graduation he moved to London and became involved with the Soho literature circuit. He held a Gregory Fellowship in poetry at the University of Leeds between 1956 to 1958. He died from a cerebral haemorrhage in Wales.
Blackburn taught at the College of Saint Mark and Saint John in Chelsea, London, as well as other educational institutions.