Douglas Brooke Wheelton Sladen was an English writer and academic who spent the early part of his working life in Australia. He then embarked upon a period of extensive travel, culminating in a return to London where he settled down to write. He was born on the 5th February 1856 in London, the son of a solicitor. Both of his parents were strict Evangelicals ...
Douglas Hyde was an Irish writer and politician whose Irish name, An Craoibhín Aoibhinn, translates as “The Pleasant Little Branch”. He was an academic and renowned scholar who championed the Irish language, along with the culture and folk lore of his country. Incredibly, at the age of 78, he became his country’s first President and he served in this post for seven ...
Dowell Philip O'Reilly, an Australian-born writer of poetry and short stories who also spent time as a school master at his old school, the Sydney Grammar School. He was a politician for a time, serving four years on the Legislative Assembly for Parramatta where he campaigned, in particular, for women’s suffrage. He was born on the 18th July 1865 in Sydney, the son ...
William IX, Duke of Aquitaine, besides his failed attempts to be a great leader of his people during the Holy Land Crusade of 1101, was a lyric poet in the vernacular style and is generally believed to be the first of the troubadour performers. He wrote in the Occitan language, an ancient tongue that still survives today in the Mediterranean regions. He was ...
Dyneley Hussey was an English war poet who was one of the lucky ones – he fought during the terrible conflict of World War One and survived to live a long life. He was also a journalist and celebrated critic in the fields of art and music. He was born on the 27th February 1893 in India, the son of a serving army officer ...
