E. J. Thribb
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E. J. Thribb (17½) has been the fictitious poet-in-residence at satirical magazine Private Eye since 1972[1]; the poems are in reality written by Barry Fantoni. Thribb's poems are usually about recently deceased and famous people, and titled 'in memoriam,' with the first line invariably reading: "So, farewell then...".
Thribb usually mentions the deceased's "catchphrase" or theme song and his poems often feature his friend Keith, or Keith's mum, who is usually "like" the deceased in some way. In recent years, Keith's mum has appeared much more infrequently - leading to seculation over her health.
Thribb's 'poetry' is characterised by a stream of consciousness which is broken up into short lines seemingly at random.
Thribb always signs his poems with his age - 17½ - the significance of this is not clear!