An introduction to a lesser known English author...
Very much a self-proclaimed “writer of the ordinary man,” Mal Foster was born in 1956 and grew up in Camberley, Surrey before moving to nearby Knaphill in the late 1980s. He had left school just before his sixteenth birthday in 1972 to help support his single mother and younger brother. Around this time he began writing poetry, and indeed, his first poems were published soon after.
Now semi-retired, he counts his time as a local journalist as a career highlight.
All his titles are available in paperback and e-book formats. Fluke's Cradle and In the Shadow of Marc Bolan are also available in hardcover.
Mal Foster's debut novel, 'The Asylum Soul'
In 1982 Mal joined the amateur music society CAMUS. In May 1983 he took a lead role as Lt Joseph Cable in the Rogers & Hammerstein Musical, 'South Pacific,' at Camberley Civic Hall.
Mal was once part of the music duo 'Leviathan' with Paul Wells. A number of tracks still exist on cassette tape. There are plans to have them digitalised.
In 1987, Mal recorded some of his poems with the band, 'Magic Moments at Twilight Time' and appeared live with the group at the Greenpeace Festival in Surrey.
Mal's song 'The Unheard Of War' was performed live by the Irish band, 'Giro Junction', at the St James Tavern, Piccadilly, London in 1988.
In 1993, Mal produced his book, ‘Welcome to the Resurrection’, an account of Aldershot Town’s inaugural season in non-league football. (1992/93). The original Aldershot F.C. was wound up on 25 March 1992 following a long period of financial difficulty. The book itself includes contributions from Mark Butler, who later became Aldershot Town’s record goal scorer, and co-founder Graham Brookland. All photographs are by the club’s official staff photographer, Ian Morsman.
In 2012, Mal published, 'Knaphill (All In One Place)', a potted history of the Surrey village where he has lived since 1988.
Contact : malfoster1956@gmail.com
Mal Foster's first poetry was published when he was just seventeen. He went on to win three Young Poet awards, and edited the small press poetry magazine, 'Wire'.
Follow Mal on Facebook www.facebook.com/MalFosterAuthor
Written in 1980 on a London Underground train, Mal Foster's poem 'The Wedding' is his most-read piece to date.
A tongue-in-cheek (1987) recorded version of the poem exists and was performed by the band Magic Moments at Twilight Time. Mal and Shona (Atkinson) Moments performed vocals, and the band's Mick Magic played keyboards. Mal also appeared with the band at the Greenpeace Festival in Surrey the same year.
‘The Wedding’ was also included in Poetry Unlocked, an anthology for secondary school students in Australia published in 2007 as part of their English Literature exam curriculum. Something Mal has stated as "ironic", as he had left school without any formal qualifications himself!
Another poem, ‘Death of a Football Club’ was published in the Verses United anthology which was published by Northern Arts and edited by Ian Horn in 1993. The poem records the demise of the old Aldershot F.C in 1992. Now sadly out of print, the book also includes poems by Atilla the Stockbroker, Tony Harrison, Wes Magee and the renowned Liverpool poet, Adrian Henri, plus many more. Also included is an introduction from TV presenter Lord Melvyn Bragg and a foreword by the late England football manager Sir Bobby Robson. The poem was also published in 90 Minutes football magazine and the Aldershot News.
A definitive selection of Mal's poetry, entitled Songs Without Music, which includes 'The Wedding', is available HERE
A Writer of the Ordinary Man...
Snippets...