A Brief Biographical Sketch of Anthony St. John

Anthony St. John was born 7 October 1944 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. His father’s parents were born in The Old Soviet Union; his mother’s mother was born in Ireland and her husband was born in France.

Mr St. John studied in three universities: St. Bonaventure University (1962-66); the University of Miami (1972-73); and, the University of Florida (1973-75). He specialised in Philosophy, British Literature, and Northamerican Literature.

He toiled for William F. Buckley, Jr’s National Review (1961-62) as a circulation and correspondence assistant.

Mr St. John is a graduate of the United States Army Artillery & Missile School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma (1966), and served as an instructor in a missile/rocket training battalion, United States Army Training Center, Fort Sill (Little John, Honest John, Sergeant, Pershing, Lance missiles and rockets). He was stationed in South Vietnam (August 1967-August 1968) where he attained the rank of first lieutenant. He was an artillery forward observer (Fourth Division), then performed the duties of liaison officer (Americal Division) at battalion and brigade levels.

He was a social worker for Florida’s Division of Family Services, and was useful in the ghetto of northwest Fort Lauderdale (1969-71).

Mr St. John reported for The Hollywood Herald (1972-73); The Miami Herald, a Knight-Ridder company (1973-74); and, The Gainesville Sun, a The New York Times Company company (1974-75). He was a copy editor for The Daily Journal, Caracas, Venezuela’s English-written news digest (1977).

In Venezuela, trying to win the hand of a woman he loved, he associated himself with the Acción Democratica political party, lended a hand (media consultant) at the Ministerio de Informacion y Turismo, and re-scrawled political speeches of President Carlos Andrés Pérez during his corrupt presidency (1977). After the Acción Democratica presidential loss, he taught English (Certificate of Proficiency) at the British Institute in Caracas. However, this appointment must be taken cum grano salis because the directress of The Tute, an Irish woman, absconded with the association's funds causing the closure of the centre of British culture and leaving, forever, her good judgement in dubiety.

Mr St. John is the author of the unpublished The Hippie Lieutenant (a trilogy about his experiences in Vietnam); Politically Philosophical and Philosophically Political Writings: A Book of Essays ; Men Without Honor, Women Without Love (a trilogy set in Caracas); Poetry by Me, Anthony; A Book of Aphorisms and Quotations by Anthony St. John; A Book of Vietnam “War” Poetry; One-pagers on Form-giving Cause as Contrasted with Potential Existence; and, Pages on Form-giving Cause as Contrasted with Potential Existence, Why I Live Beyond the United States of America, Pinning Hope on a Contemporary Style Intended to Cultivate Gracious Behaviour, et alia.

Please visit www.MediaMonitors.net, click PERSPECTIVE in the table at the left side of the homepage, and then visit September, 2002 and April, 2003 to find articles webcast by Anthony St. John. Also, one may visit www.barganews.com for a larger selection.

He renounced his United States’ citizenship 27 March 1994 (“Why I Sat under an Olive Tree in Calenzano, Italy, 27 March 1994, Set to Flames My United States’ Passport, Dried My Eyes, and then Returned Home to Write a Letter Renouncing My United States’ Citizenship”).

Mr St. John is a student of English, French, Italian, and Spanish, and studied Latin for six years in his youth.

He is an Italianist trying to understand the political, social and economic realities of Italy.

He is particularly proud of the results of an Inkblot (Rorschach) Test taken on www.emode.com: “Anthony, your subconscious is driven most by PEACE. You have a deeply-rooted desire to make peace in the world. Whether through subtle interactions with loved ones, or through getting involved in social causes, it is important to you to be able to influence the world in a positive way. You have a deep respect for humankind. You care about the future of the world, even beyond your own involvement in it, and you inspire others to feel the same way. Your innate drive toward PEACE guides you in daily life towards decisions that are respectful toward yourself and others. Your psyche is very rich; the more you learn about it, the more you will understand who you really are. People who have unconscious minds driven by PEACE tend to be independent thinkers who often prefer to live by their own high personal standards and moral code.”

In 1971, he was interviewed by “The King of Interviewers,” Larry King, in the radio studios of WIOD in Miami, Florida.

Mr St. John likes reading, navigating on the Internet, walking, riding trains, looking at beautiful women, listening to short-wave radio broadcasts in English, French, and Spanish, has not driven an automobile since leaving the United States for good (31 December 1976), celebrates Ludwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770) and David Hume’s (26 April 1771) birthdays every year, enjoys Cuban cigars and Dunhill 965 pipe mixture, drinks—moderately—fine Chianti wines, and particularly finds pleasure satirizing European “political” leaders—those Italian, in front row.

He lived in the United States for thirty-two years, in Venezuela for more than seven years, and has been a resident of Italy since 1 May 1983.

He considers Bertrand Russell to be his “intellectual father,” and Jean-Paul Sartre his “spiritual father.”

He is a keen admirer of C. K. Scott Moncrieff’s translation of Marcel Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past and the majestic prose of Edward W Said.

Mr St. John is an atheist and a mitigated Marxist. To those who question his atheism, he says this: If a god (“god” spelt backwards is “dog!”) exists who is all-perfect, all-powerful, all-good, all-intelligent, and all-knowing, how could he have created two imbeciles like you and like me! To those who question his mitigated Marxism, he says this: Please read Marx by Peter Singer, Past Masters series, Oxford University Press, 1980.




© Updated: 6 August 2008



Anthony St. John
Casella Postale 38
50041 CALENZANO FI
Italia
Voice: 055-8873228




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