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 ...
