The winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature, Seamus Heaney was one of the major poets of the previous century.

Lucille Clifton’s early career began promisingly when the very first volume of poems she published, Good Times, was included in the list of the most notable books of the year by one of the most influential newspapers in the US. Among the topics she loved to discuss in her verse were feminism and her African … Continue reading Biography of Lucille Clifton →

English poet and Catholic priest Gerard Manley Hopkins studied at the Highgate school and at the Oxford University. In the 1866, he converted to Catholicism. In the 1868, he joined the Jesuit order. He eliminated everything written before and abandoned verses` writing, to which he returned only in the 1875. In the 1884, he became … Continue reading Biography of Gerard Manley Hopkins →

Dante Gabriel Rossetti was born in a middle-class family. He studied painting. In the 1848, along with other artists, he founded the “Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood”. He wrote poems, prose compositions, translations of the works of French and Italian authors. In the 1860 he married Elizabeth Siddal, who died in the 1862. For a long time, he … Continue reading Biography of Dante Gabriel Rossetti →

Kathleen Jamie is one of the most famous poets working today. In her verse she often explores important historical phenomena, feminism issues, and the beauty of nature. Although she often talks about her love to Scottish land and Scottish culture, she also shares her impressions of other countries she visited. One of characteristic features of … Continue reading Biography of Kathleen Jamie →

A prolific American poet and author, Maxine Kumin was awarded Pulitzer Prize and a number of other prestigious awards. According to Kumin, almost all her works were written at or at least were connected with her farmhouse in New Hampshire. So, the fact that she is often called a regional pastoral poet is hardly a … Continue reading Biography of Maxine Kumin →

Although Gillian Clarke was a well-known Welsh poet, translator, and author of plays, she actually abandoned a promising career in order to support her husband’s political ambitions. Having shrewd political judgments, she however preferred to work as an English teacher and editor. Clarke is the author of several volumes of poetry not only for adults, … Continue reading Biography of Gillian Clarke →

The fact that R. S. Thomas was born in Wales and spent his life there influenced his poetry greatly. It’s not just because he devoted a lot of poems to his country and its people. Many biographers even compare his artistic style, almost devoid of poetic devices, with the harsh and rugged landscape characteristic for … Continue reading Biography of Ronald Thomas →

Initially Anne Stevenson studied music, and it was only during her University years that she decided to pursue poetry. No wonder her works have musical quality. She even said that poems come to her “as tunes”. She moved between the United Kingdom, her motherland, and the United States several times, so it’s not that easy … Continue reading Biography of Anne Stevenson →

Granddaughter of Charles Darwin, Frances Crofts Cornford enjoyed early success, yet in the course of time her fame waned. Her cheery rhymes and very simple at times phrases create a strange contrast with the meaning of the poems and her imagery. Cornford often discussed hardships of a woman’s life, she also turned to such topics … Continue reading Biography of Frances Cornford →