Biography.guide
Home › People › Writer › Kenneth White
Portrait of Kenneth White

Kenneth White

1936 – 2023

Scottish poet, academic and writer

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Kenneth White

Lived 1936 – 2023 (aged 87). Kenneth White was a British and French writer, poet, university teacher, scholar of English, romanist and teacher.

Kenneth White (28 April 1936 – 11 August 2023) was a Scottish poet, academic and writer.

Biography

Kenneth White was born in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, Scotland, but he spent his childhood and adolescence at Fairlie near Largs on the Ayrshire coast, where his father worked as a railway signalman. In Fairlie, he encountered Dugald Semple, borrowing books from him and becoming influenced by his philosophy of simple living.

White obtained a double first in French and German from the University of Glasgow. From 1959 until 1963, White studied at the University of Paris, where he obtained a state doctorate. White purchased "Gourgounel", an old farm in the Ardèche region of France, where he could spend the summers and autumns studying and working on what would become Letters from Gourgounel.

Kenneth White lived on the north coast of Brittany with his wife Marie-Claude, who is a translator and photographer. He died there on 11 August 2023, at the age of 87.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Education
Faculty of Arts of Paris, University of Glasgow
Employers
Faculty of Arts of Paris, University of Bordeaux
Awards
Prix Médicis étranger; Prix Breizh; Prix du Rayonnement de la langue et de la littérature françaises; Honorary doctorate; Édouard Glissant Prize
Also known as
Kenet Vajt

People in Kenneth White's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Kenneth White's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Kenneth White?

Scottish poet, academic and writer (1936–2023)

When was Kenneth White born?

Kenneth White was born on 28 April 1936 in Glasgow.

When did Kenneth White die?

Kenneth White died on 11 August 2023 in Trébeurden.

What was Kenneth White's occupation?

Kenneth White was a writer, poet, university teacher, scholar of English, romanist and teacher.

What nationality was Kenneth White?

Kenneth White was British and French.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Kenneth White

· Wikidata: Q348099

· DBpedia: Kenneth White

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Kenneth White. https://biography.guide/kenneth-white/

MLA: "Kenneth White." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/kenneth-white/.

Chicago: "Kenneth White." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/kenneth-white/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

Page generated 2026-09-27 04:58 UTC