[1] He started writing poems and short stories as a teenager, and had some published in Ambit magazine; an influence was J G Ballard and this led to him applying to study English literature at Swansea University where he graduated in 1973.
During this time he got an offer to teach English in Poland and went to Wrocław and Gdańsk for two years on local contracts, taking the train through West and East Germany.
[4][5] During his career Tighe carried out research into writing in Poland, where he lived for three years, America, and Hungary and presented at conferences as far afield as Italy, Wales and Turkey.
Tighe's research interests were primarily centred in Central European Literature and comparative politics, but he also wrote upon areas as diverse as the works of Heinrich Boll, Gunter Grass, Bret Easton Ellis, Stanislav Lem and Franz Six.
In December 2018 he was awarded a Doctor of Letters from the University of Manchester for his contribution to the understanding of Polish literature, history and culture.