John Thompson was born 17 March 1938, in Manchester, England. He lost his father during World War II and endured an unhappy relationship with his mother, who eventually remarried and moved to Australia. After attending Manchester Grammar School on a scholarship, Thompson completed his two years of national service in the British Army, working as a code clerk. He then took a B.A. (with honors) in psychology at the University of Sheffield. In the early 1960's he entered the doctoral program in comparative literature at Michigan State University, where he completed his Ph.D. in 1966. His dissertation, "Translations from René Char's 'La Parole en Archipel' and Other Works, with an Introductory Essay" was supervised by A. J. M. Smith.

Thompson joined the English department of Mount Allison University, at Sackville, New Brunswick, in the fall of 1966 and remained there till his death ten years later. He moved into...