‘Force of nature’ Liverpool poet Brian Patten dies aged 79

The Liverpool poet Brian Patten has been described as a “force of nature” after his death at the age of 79.

Fellow Merseyside poet Roger McGough said he was “laid low” by the news of his friend’s death, posting on X: “My soul-mate. R.I.P. May he Rest In Poetry.”

Patten, who co-wrote The Mersey Sound anthology alongside McGough and the late Adrian Henri, “died peacefully in hospital” on Monday with his wife Linda “by his side”, a statement from his publisher HarperCollins said.

Born in Liverpool in 1946, Patten came to prominence with 1967’s The Mersey Sound, which is thought to be one of the best-selling poetry anthologies of all time.

McGough and Patten received honorary doctorates from the University of Liverpool in 2006 for their contributions to arts and culture.

Patten’s editor at HarperCollins, Jane Johnson, had worked with him since 1985.

She said: “Brian was a force of nature, so full of light and life that he was impossible to contain.

“He could be a challenging writer to publish, a quicksilver spirit that slipped through your hands, impossible to pin down, one day elated with a new piece, the next hating everything about it.”

She added: “Brian Patten leaves the world alight with his words.”

Patten grew up in a working-class neighbourhood and left school at 15, finding work as a junior reporter on the Bootle Times.

His first solo collection was Little Johnny’s Confessions, published in 1967 when he was 21, with other collections including Vanishing Trick and Armada.

Patten was known for his musings on love, many of which featured in his poetry book Collected Love Poems.

He was honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool in 2001, alongside Henri and McGough, and was the presenter of BBC Radio 4 series Lost Voices.