There is a little village called Slad which is nestled in the Cotswold Hills, close to the small town of Stroud in Gloucestershire. It was here that the poet Laurie Lee arrived with his family in 1917 and his life in this beautiful rural location inspired Lee to write, some 40 years later, his most famous work - Cider With Rosie. It’s ...
Born in 1927 in New York, American poet W. S. Merwin won over the public and critics alike throughout his career. His father was a minister and Merwin’s first contact with writing was copying out hymns but it was not until he went to university that he began to take an interest in poetry. He went to Princeton and graduated in 1948, ...
Born in 1794 in Massachusetts, William Cullen Bryant served as editor for the New York Evening Post for much of his life and was one of the most popular of the romantic poets to come out of America in the 19th Century. His celebrity was a rival to both Longfellow and Emerson whilst he was still in his youth. He was ...
Born around 1651 in Mexico, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was a poet, scholar and nun who is often referred to as the 10th muse. She grew up at a time when the country was still seen as part of Spain but has long been considered one of Mexico’s most influential poets, even though she lived ...
Born in 1913 in Cardiff, Welsh poet and fervent nationalist, R. S. Thomas wrote about his ideal of Wales and the role of the English in stripping it of its wild and natural essence. When Thomas was just 5, his family moved north to Holyhead where his father was stationed as a merchant seaman. In 1932 he studied at the ...
Robert Hayden was an American poet who rose from humble beginnings to the very pinnacle of his craft when, in 1976, he was appointed to the position of consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress. This appointment was later called Poet Laureate and, of particular note, Hayden was the first black American to achieve this honour. It was richly deserved though ...
Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet James Wright came to prominence in 1956 with The Green Wall, a volume of poems which was awarded the Yale Younger Poets Prize. He has been called: “a craftsman who can put to use the traditional elements of his art while at the same time exploring new means of expression.” Wright was born December 13th 1927 in Martins Ferry, Ohio, ...
Nobel Prize winner Hermann Hesse was born July 2nd 1877 in Calw, Southern Germany. He was raised in a pietist family; pietism having its origins in the Lutheran Church of Germany and its philosophy was utter devotion to God above all others and respect for family. Throughout his life he tried to rebel against his religious upbringing but did not abandon ...
Not much is known about the life of the 4th Century Sanskrit dramatist and poet Kalidasa although he was profoundly influenced by Ashvaghoshha who was writing three hundred years earlier. His name is linked to many legends including that he was known for his great beauty which attracted the attention of a princess who decided to marry him. It is said that he ...
Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad was born in 1935 in Tehran and is noted as one of the most influential female writers and film makers of her time. She studied dressmaking and art at Kamalolmolk Technical School where she also began to write her own poetry, before being engaged to marry noted satirist and writer Parviz Shapoor who was her cousin. Her family ...
