We keep you updated on the world of poetry with our news roundups.
William John Macquorn Rankine was a 19th century Scottish scientist, civil engineer, mathematician and occasional poet. Despite his lofty achievements in complex disciplines such as thermodynamics he demonstrated, in poems like The Mathematician in Love and The Three Foot Rule, a genuinely witty turn of phrase. The latter was well ahead of its time, talking about the reluctance of British workers to ...
George Eliot was the pen name used by a female author whose real name was Mary Ann Evans. She wrote poetry but was more famous for classical novels that will forever have their place amongst the greats of English literature such as Middlemarch and The Mill on the Floss. She was most prolific during the mid- to late 19th century, producing seven ...
Gary Snyder, now in his 87th year, is a true American man of letters. A Pulitzer Prize winner for his poetry, he is closely associated with the Beat Generation poets and the San Francisco Renaissance of American literature. He has followed the Buddhist faith for many years, translating pieces of ancient Chinese and modern Japanese literature into English. As an ardent campaigner on ...
Adrienne Rich was an American writer who was described as "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century" Her poetry and essays were written in such a way as to confirm her radical and feminist views. It is generally acknowledged that her literary efforts were most certainly influential in raising the profile of women in ...
Edward Carpenter was an English poet and anthologist who, remarkably for his time, was a leading campaigner for the rights of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender individuals. He had many friends and acquaintances in the literary and entertainment fields, including John Ruskin, Isadora Duncan and Walt Whitman and he also corresponded with the so-called “Father of the Indian Nation” Mahatma Gandhi. Carpenter had ...
William Johnson Cory was a 19th century English poet whose most famous works were written in Latin. He was also a popular teacher at the famous Eton public school before being asked to resign in controversial circumstances after almost thirty years service. Became into the world as William Johnson on the 9th January 1823 in the Devon village of Great Torrington. He was sent ...
William Charles Wentworth was an Australian-born poet, explorer, journalist, jockey and politician who was one of those who campaigned vigorously on behalf of colonial self-government. There are doubts about his true date of birth but some reports say that he was born on the 13th August 1790 into a family with links to an old aristocratic family of Irish descent, at least on his ...
William Julius Mickle was an 18th century Scottish poet and translator. He was born William Julius Meikle on the 29th September 1734 in Langholm, Dumfriesshire, which is now part of the region called Dumfries and Galloway in south west Scotland. His father was the Reverend Alexander Meikle, a minister at the parish church but, other than that, little is known of Mickle’s early life. On ...
William Oldys was an English poet, bibliographer and antiquarian who was known to be fastidious in his life-long task of recording historical data. He was born on the 14th July 1696, probably in London, and it is believed that his early years were fraught with difficulty. He was the illegitimate son of Dr William Oldys, a chancellor of Lincoln and advocate of the Admiralty, ...
Most of us are inspired by someone when it comes to our job, or any hobbies we engage in. There is always an individual that we look up to, who inspired us to get involved in something, or whom we have studied to get where we are. So, have you ever wondered who inspired some of the most famous poets? What poets did Sylvia Plath study? Where did ...
