Poets – Page 2 – Interesting Literature

Five Fascinating Facts about William McGonagall

Fun facts about poet William McGonagall (1825-1902): his life, his work, and his legacy

1. William McGonagall is widely regarded as the worst poet in the English language. Nineteenth-century Scottish poet William McGonagall has enjoyed (if that’s the word) a posthumous reputation you won’t find many poets seeking: a reputation as the worst ever English-language poet. At one point, he had a job giving poetry readings in a circus: he received fifteen shillings a night on condition that the crowd be allowed to pelt him with eggs and stale food, like a minor criminal in the stocks. McGonagall seemed to like this arrangement, however – the money came in handy – and he was annoyed when the authorities put a stop to it.

Interesting Facts about Poets’ Corner

Fun facts about Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey – and the writers buried there

Although Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to be buried in Poets’ Corner, his interment in that part of the Abbey only took place in 1556, over a century and a half after his death. He had originally been buried elsewhere in Westminster Abbey, following his death in 1400. And he earned his original place in the Abbey not for his poetry but for his other work: he was Clerk of Works of the Palace of Westminster. This was probably the reason for his burial in the Abbey in the first place. ‘Poets’ Corner’ would only come into being many years after Chaucer’s death.

A Biography of T. S. Eliot

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

We could write thousands of words as part of a T. S. Eliot biography, but instead we’ll limit ourselves to a reasonably short piece that distils all of the most interesting aspects of Eliot’s life into one relatively brief post. What follows, then, is a very short guide to the amazing life of T. S. Eliot (1888-1965).

Five Fascinating Facts about Dylan Thomas

Interesting facts about the life and work of Dylan Thomas 1. Dylan Thomas was born in Dylan Marlais Thomas, in Swansea, in 1914. His middle name was Marlais, which was a nod to his great-uncle, William Thomas, who was also a poet. William Thomas’s bardic name was Gwilym Marles. 2. One of Thomas’s first published poems was … Read more

10 Great Quotes about Poetry for National Poetry Day

For National Poetry Day 2014, here are our ten favourite quotes from writers, artists, and thinkers about poetry. If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry. – Emily Dickinson The first man to compare the cheeks of a young … Read more