M. J. Poynter is an English “rogue writer” and underground poet. He was born in Reading, Berkshire in the summer of 1969 and spent his early childhood in the neighbouring suburb of Woodley. In 1976 M. J. Poynter’s family emigrated to South Africa and lived in for the next fifteen years in the small coal mining town of Witbank. The author completed his primary and secondary school education in Witbank during what he often refers to as “the thirteen wasted years”. It was during this time that he developed an insatiable dislike for the apartheid regime and became heavily influenced by the counter-culture of the 1960’s.

M. J. Poynter’s experiences of growing up in apartheid South Africa would later become documented in his coming age memoir “Middleburg”. This novel provides an insightful account of his school days and illustrates how education can be used as an instrument of oppression. After finishing high school, M. J. Poynter studied theatre technology at Natal Technikon in Durban. His student days have been captured in the poignant memoir “Beatnik” (coming soon), which documents his life as a bohemian art student during the final years of the apartheid regime. In 1992 M. J. Poynter and his family returned to the UK where they currently reside in the county of Lincolnshire. During the early 1990’s the author took up a teaching position at a college of further education before returning to university. His experience of rural life in the heart of the Fens would later inspire him to write “The Boston Curse”. This comic horror is partly based upon real life events and reveals a terrifying tale from one of the most haunted counties in all of England. In 2002 M. J. Poynter moved to Ghana in order to take up a teaching position at a small university college. During his stay the author travelled around the city of Accra meeting various people who would later inspire him to write “Greetings from Ghana”. This semi-autobiographical novel is a comical adventure beset with all kinds of mishaps and mayhem.

In terms of literary style M. J. Poynter typically writes in a straight talking first-person narrative which produces a clear and concise description of events. The writer displays a sense of “dirty realism” with his gritty depictions of everyday life and social conditions. His works are autobiographical in nature being largely based upon real life events and combining an element of fantasy. M. J. Poynter’s novels often portray himself as an anti-hero caught up in situations which are beyond his control. Themes of death and tragedy are combined with elements of the comic and the bizarre. The author often uses an interesting play on words to further convey a blatant sense of irony. His depictions of women are usually erotic in nature providing a sensuous mix of beauty and sexuality.