Who is the best English poet? From the Renaissance, to the Jacobean era, to the Restoration, to the modern day, great English poets have been making readers think across the ages. If you love to debate, "Who is the best poet in English literature?" then this is the list for you.
Written works have the ability to make us feel. They make us want to believe, be inspired, and live vicariously through the stories we read on the page. This list of English poets and their works demonstrate this particular skill. It all begins with the words written on the page. Whether short or long form, poetry is often illusory, and full of rich imagery or hidden meaning. It is these elements which provoke readers to dig deeper and make poetry so engaging and moving.
The best of poems and poets are read throughout the ages. They are read from generation to generation and taught throughout school to young students. Poets and their poetry have the ability to take us places and into the lives of those we’ve never imagined. Poets are often tortured souls or great thinkers who show readers a new view of the world they never would have imagined. This list includes the great English poets, such as Rudyard Kipling, John Keats, Geoffrey Chaucer, and William Shakespeare.
These greatest English poets provide the kind of emotional connection to the written word that few can. So, who are the best of the famous English poets? Vote up the absolute best English poets on the list below, or add a famous poet from England who is truly great, but isn't already on the list.
- 1Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?, My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun, All the World's a Stage
William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, is renowned for his plays, but his poetic prowess is equally remarkable. His sonnets are considered some of the finest in the English language, exploring themes of love, beauty, and mortality with unparalleled eloquence and depth.
- Age: Dec. at 52 (1564-1616)
- Birthplace: Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom
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- 1Prince Hamlet714 Votes
- 2Lady Macbeth593 Votes
- 3Iago524 Votes
- 2
John Milton, a 17th-century poet, is best known for his epic poem "Paradise Lost," which recounts the biblical story of humanity's fall from grace. A master of blank verse, Milton's work is characterized by its intellectual rigor and profound exploration of religious and political themes.
- Age: Dec. at 65 (1608-1674)
- Birthplace: Cheapside, United Kingdom
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Also ranks #25 on The Most Controversial Writers of All Time
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1The mind is its own place, and in itself can make heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.11 Votes- 2He who reins within himself and rules passions, desires, and fears is more than a king15 Votes
- 3The power of Kings and Magistrates is nothing else, but what is only derivative, transferrd and committed to them in trust from the People, to the Common good of them all, in whom the power yet remaines fundamentally, and cannot be takn from them, without a violation of thir natural birthright.9 Votes
- 3
John Keats, a Romantic poet, possessed an extraordinary gift for sensuous imagery and emotional intensity. His odes, particularly "Ode to a Nightingale" and "Ode on a Grecian Urn," are celebrated for their vivid evocations of beauty and the transience of life.
- Age: Dec. at 25 (1795-1821)
- Birthplace: Moorgate, London, England
- Also ranks #1 on The Best Romantic Era Poets
- Also ranks #12 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
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- 4
William Wordsworth, a key figure in the Romantic movement, revolutionized poetry by focusing on nature and the ordinary human experience. His magnum opus, The Prelude, is an autobiographical epic that traces his personal growth and development as a poet.
- Age: Dec. at 80 (1770-1850)
- Birthplace: Wordsworth House, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #4 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
- Also ranks #7 on The Best Romantic Era Poets
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- 5
William Blake, a visionary poet and artist, defied convention with his prophetic works that blended mysticism, social criticism, and vivid imagination. His illuminated poems, such as "Songs of Innocence and Experience," reveal a unique perspective on the human condition and the divine.
- Age: Dec. at 69 (1757-1827)
- Birthplace: Soho, London, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #3 on The Best Romantic Era Poets
- Also ranks #4 on The Most Famous Romantic Artists Of All Time
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- 6
Percy Bysshe Shelley, another leading Romantic poet, championed radical ideas and the power of imagination. His lyrical works, like "Ozymandias" and "To a Skylark," convey a sense of wonder and challenge conventional beliefs about society, religion, and nature.
- Age: Dec. at 29 (1792-1822)
- Birthplace: Horsham, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #2 on The Best Romantic Era Poets
- Also ranks #7 on The Most Famous Cases Of Doppelgängers We Just Learned About
- Also ranks #11 on The Real Stories Behind The Strange Deaths Of Famous Writers
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- 7
John Donne, a metaphysical poet, is renowned for his wit, wordplay, and inventive conceits. His passionate and often erotic love poetry, along with his deeply reflective religious verse, demonstrates his mastery of both intellectual and emotional expression.
- Age: Dec. at 59 (1572-1631)
- Birthplace: London, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #1 on The Most Famous Cases Of Doppelgängers We Just Learned About
- Also ranks #6 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
- Also ranks #75 on The Best Gay Authors
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- 8
Emily Dickinson, a 19th-century American poet, is renowned for her innovative style and her exploration of themes such as love, death, and the nature of the self. Her works, characterized by their brevity and their use of slant rhyme, display a unique voice and a deep understanding of the human experience.
- Age: Dec. at 55 (1830-1886)
- Birthplace: Amherst, Massachusetts
- Also ranks #1 on The Best Female Poets of All Time
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- Also ranks #3 on The 63 Best American Poets, Ranked
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- 9
Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of English literature, is best known for The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories told by a diverse group of pilgrims. Chaucer's use of Middle English vernacular and his keen observations of human nature make his work both accessible and enduring.
- Age: Dec. at 57 (1343-1400)
- Birthplace: London, England
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- 10The Charge of the Light Brigade, Idylls of the King, The Lady of Shalott
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, was a Victorian poet whose lyrical and narrative works grappled with themes of love, loss, and the quest for meaning. His elegy "In Memoriam A.H.H." and his Arthurian epic "Idylls of the King" showcase his mastery of form and his deep sensitivity to the human experience.
- Age: Dec. at 83 (1809-1892)
- Birthplace: Somersby, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #9 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
- Also ranks #70 on The Best Gay Authors
- Also ranks #104 on The Best Fantasy Authors
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- 11
George Gordon Byron, commonly known as Lord Byron, was a leading Romantic poet whose works were characterized by their passion, wit, and defiance of societal norms. His narrative poems, like "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" and "Don Juan," captured the spirit of his age and cemented his reputation as a literary icon.
- Age: Dec. at 36 (1788-1824)
- Birthplace: London
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- Also ranks #5 on The Best Romantic Era Poets
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- 12
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a central figure in the Romantic movement, is celebrated for his vivid imagination and his ability to evoke the sublime. His poems, such as "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan," are marked by their rich imagery and supernatural themes.
- Age: Dec. at 61 (1772-1834)
- Birthplace: Ottery St Mary, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #8 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
- Also ranks #8 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
- Also ranks #9 on The Best Romantic Era Poets
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- 13
T. S. Eliot, a modernist poet, revolutionized 20th-century poetry with his innovative style and profound exploration of the human condition. His seminal work, "The Waste Land," is a complex and allusive masterpiece that reflects the disillusionment and fragmentation of the post-World War I era.
- Age: Dec. at 76 (1888-1965)
- Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
- Also ranks #2 on The 75 Best Poets Of The 20th Century, Ranked
- Also ranks #5 on The 63 Best American Poets, Ranked
- Also ranks #9 on 13 Extremely Unexpected Friendships Between Historical Figures
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- 14
Alexander Pope, an 18th-century poet, is celebrated for his satirical wit and his mastery of the heroic couplet. His works, such as "The Rape of the Lock" and "An Essay on Criticism," are marked by their biting humor, moral insight, and polished versification.
- Age: Dec. at 56 (1688-1744)
- Birthplace: London, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #21 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
- Also ranks #26 on The 35+ Best Catholic Authors, Ranked
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- 1They dream in courtship, but in wedlock wake.6 Votes
- 2An excuse is worse than a lie, for an excuse is a lie, guarded.6 Votes
- 3Satan is wiser now than before, and tempts by making rich instead of poor.6 Votes
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Dylan Thomas, a 20th-century Welsh poet, is renowned for his distinctive voice and his evocative explorations of love, nature, and the human spirit. His works, such as "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" and "Fern Hill," are marked by their musicality, emotional intensity, and vivid imagery.
- Age: Dec. at 39 (1914-1953)
- Birthplace: Swansea, United Kingdom
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- Also ranks #10 on The 75 Best Poets Of The 20th Century, Ranked
- Also ranks #10 on 15 Of The Most 'Tortured' Artists In History
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- 16
Robert Browning, a Victorian poet, is celebrated for his dramatic monologues, which reveal the inner lives of his characters with psychological insight and vivid detail. His works, such as "My Last Duchess" and "Porphyria's Lover," showcase his innovative approach to form and his keen understanding of human nature.
- Age: Dec. at 77 (1812-1889)
- Birthplace: Camberwell, London, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #20 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
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- Also ranks #215 on The 500+ Best Writers of All Time
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- 17Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge: The Life and Death of a Man of Character
Thomas Hardy, a Victorian novelist and poet, is celebrated for his evocative descriptions of rural life and his keen observations of human nature. His poems, such as "The Darkling Thrush" and "Tess of the d'Urbervilles," are marked by their melancholy tone and their exploration of fate, loss, and the passage of time.
- Age: Dec. at 87 (1840-1928)
- Birthplace: Stinsford, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #25 on The Best Novelists of All Time
- Also ranks #34 on The 75 Best Poets Of The 20th Century, Ranked
- Also ranks #37 on The Greatest American Writers Of All Time
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- 18
Oscar Wilde, a 19th-century poet and playwright, is celebrated for his wit, aestheticism, and his critique of Victorian society. His poems, such as "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" and "The Harlot's House," display his mastery of form and his ability to blend beauty and moral insight.
- Age: Dec. at 46 (1854-1900)
- Birthplace: Dublin, Republic of Ireland
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- 1The liar at any rate recognizes that recreation, not instruction, is the aim of conversation, and is a far more civilized being than the blockhead who loudly expresses his disbelief in a story which is told simply for the amusement of the company.13 Votes
- 2Experience is the name we give to our mistakes.85 Votes
- 3Be yourself; everyone else is already taken128 Votes
- 19
Gerard Manley Hopkins, a Victorian poet and Jesuit priest, is known for his innovative style and his intense religious and natural imagery. His "sprung rhythm" and his exploration of the relationship between humanity and the divine make his works, like "Pied Beauty" and "The Windhover," truly unique.
- Age: Dec. at 44 (1844-1889)
- Birthplace: Stratford, London, London, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #23 on The 35+ Best Catholic Authors, Ranked
- Also ranks #72 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
- Also ranks #97 on The Best Gay Authors
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- 20
Edmund Spenser, a 16th-century poet, is best known for his epic allegory "The Faerie Queene," which celebrates the virtues of chivalry and the Tudor dynasty. His innovative use of the Spenserian stanza and his richly imaginative style make him a key figure in the development of English poetry.
- Age: Dec. at 47 (1552-1599)
- Birthplace: London, United Kingdom
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- Also ranks #58 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
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- 21
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, a Victorian poet, is renowned for her passionate love poetry and her exploration of social and political issues. Her works, such as "Sonnets from the Portuguese" and "Aurora Leigh," reveal her technical skill and her deep engagement with the world around her.
- Age: Dec. at 55 (1806-1861)
- Birthplace: Kelloe, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #10 on The Best Female Poets of All Time
- Also ranks #21 on The Best Female Authors of All Time
- Also ranks #21 on The Best Romantic Era Poets
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- 22
Edgar Allan Poe, a 19th-century American poet and writer, is celebrated for his macabre and Gothic works, which explore themes such as love, death, and the supernatural. His poems, such as "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee," showcase his mastery of form and his ability to evoke a sense of dread and mystery.
- Age: Dec. at 40 (1809-1849)
- Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
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- 1The Tell-Tale Heart111 Votes
- 2The Cask of Amontillado95 Votes
- 3The Masque of the Red Death93 Votes
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W. H. Auden, a 20th-century poet, is known for his technical virtuosity and his wide-ranging exploration of love, politics, and culture. His works, such as "Funeral Blues" and "September 1, 1939," display his mastery of form and his ability to engage with the pressing issues of his time.
- Age: Dec. at 66 (1907-1973)
- Birthplace: York, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #3 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
- Also ranks #12 on The 75 Best Poets Of The 20th Century, Ranked
- Also ranks #20 on The Most Important LGBTQ+ Thinkers of All Time
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- 24
Christina Rossetti, a Victorian poet, is celebrated for her deeply personal and often melancholic verse. Her works, such as "Goblin Market" and "In the Bleak Midwinter," reveal her mastery of form and her ability to convey complex emotions with clarity and grace.
- Age: Dec. at 64 (1830-1894)
- Birthplace: London, United Kingdom
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- 25
Emily Brontë, a Victorian poet and novelist, is best known for her haunting and passionate novel "Wuthering Heights." Her poetry, marked by its intense emotion and vivid imagery, reveals her deep connection to the natural world and her keen insight into the human heart.
- Age: Dec. at 30 (1818-1848)
- Birthplace: Thornton, Yorkshire, England, UK
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- 26
Robert Burns, an 18th-century Scottish poet, is celebrated for his use of the Scots dialect and his keen observations of rural life. His works, such as "Auld Lang Syne" and "To a Mouse," reveal his deep love for his native land and his ability to find universal themes in everyday experiences.
- Age: Dec. at 37 (1759-1796)
- Birthplace: Alloway, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #6 on What British People Said About The American Revolution
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- 27
Rudyard Kipling, a Victorian poet and writer, is best known for his works that celebrate British imperialism and his tales of adventure, such as The Jungle Book. His poems, like "If—" and "Gunga Din," showcase his mastery of form and his ability to convey complex ideas with clarity and precision.
- Age: Dec. at 70 (1865-1936)
- Birthplace: Mumbai, India
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- Also ranks #8 on Historical 'Good Guys' Who Weren’t Actually Good
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- 28
Wilfred Owen, a 20th-century poet, is renowned for his powerful and moving depictions of the horrors of World War I. His poems, such as "Dulce et Decorum Est" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth," challenge the romanticized notions of war and reveal the true cost of conflict.
- Age: Dec. at 25 (1893-1918)
- Birthplace: Oswestry, England
- Also ranks #25 on The 75 Best Poets Of The 20th Century, Ranked
- Also ranks #36 on Who Is The Most Famous Owen In The World?
- Also ranks #40 on The Best Gay Authors
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- 29
Andrew Marvell, a 17th-century metaphysical poet, is celebrated for his wit, wordplay, and exploration of love, politics, and religion. His works, such as "To His Coy Mistress" and "The Garden," display his intellectual depth and his ability to convey profound ideas through vivid imagery and innovative metaphors.
- Age: Dec. at 57 (1621-1678)
- Birthplace: Winestead, England
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- 30
Philip Larkin, a 20th-century poet, is known for his understated style and his exploration of the human experience in post-war Britain. His works, such as "Church Going" and "This Be The Verse," reveal his keen observations of everyday life and his ability to find beauty and meaning in the mundane.
- Age: Dec. at 63 (1922-1985)
- Birthplace: Coventry, United Kingdom
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- 31
Robert Frost, a 20th-century American poet, is celebrated for his exploration of rural life and his mastery of colloquial language. His works, such as "The Road Not Taken" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," reveal his deep connection to the natural world and his ability to convey complex emotions with clarity and simplicity.
- Age: Dec. at 88 (1874-1963)
- Birthplace: California
- Also ranks #2 on The 63 Best American Poets, Ranked
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- Also ranks #7 on The 75 Best Poets Of The 20th Century, Ranked
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- 32The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, Tamburlaine, Edward the Second
Christopher Marlowe, a 16th-century poet and playwright, is celebrated for his innovative use of blank verse and his exploration of themes such as ambition, desire, and power. His works, such as "Doctor Faustus" and "Hero and Leander," showcase his dramatic flair and his ability to engage with complex moral and philosophical issues.
- Birthplace: Canterbury, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #7 on 15 Famous Figures Who Were Buried In Mundane Places
- Also ranks #9 on The Real Stories Behind The Strange Deaths Of Famous Writers
- Also ranks #19 on The 50+ Greatest Playwrights In History, Ranked
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- 33
John Dryden, a 17th-century poet and critic, is renowned for his satirical wit and his mastery of the heroic couplet. His works, such as "Absalom and Achitophel" and "Mac Flecknoe," display his keen political insight and his ability to engage with the pressing issues of his time.
- Age: Dec. at 68 (1631-1700)
- Birthplace: Aldwincle, United Kingdom
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- 34There's no use in weeping, Long ago I wished to leave, The human heart has hidden treasures
Charlotte Brontë, a Victorian poet and novelist, is best known for her groundbreaking novel Jane Eyre, which explores themes of love, morality, and social class. Her poetry, marked by its emotional intensity and rich imagery, reveals her deep connection to the natural world and her keen insight into the human heart.
- Age: Dec. at 38 (1816-1855)
- Birthplace: Thornton, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #1 on The Greatest Female Novelists Ever
- Also ranks #3 on The Best Female Authors of All Time
- Also ranks #7 on The Greatest Artists With Only One Masterpiece
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- 35A Night in a Moorish Harem, The temple & A priest to the temple, The Williams manuscript of George Herbert's poems
George Herbert, a 17th-century metaphysical poet, is known for his deeply spiritual and introspective verse. His works, such as "The Temple" and "The Collar," display his mastery of form and his ability to engage with complex theological and philosophical issues.
- Age: Dec. at 39 (1593-1633)
- Birthplace: Montgomery, United Kingdom
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- 36
Ted Hughes, a 20th-century poet, is known for his powerful and often dark explorations of nature, mythology, and the human psyche. His works, such as "Crow" and "Birthday Letters," display his vivid imagination and his ability to engage with complex themes and emotions.
- Age: Dec. at 68 (1930-1998)
- Birthplace: Mytholmroyd, United Kingdom
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- 37
A. E. Housman, a 20th-century poet, is celebrated for his lyrical evocations of rural England and his exploration of themes such as love, loss, and the passage of time. His works, such as "A Shropshire Lad" and "Last Poems," reveal his deep connection to the English countryside and his ability to convey universal emotions with simplicity and grace.
- Age: Dec. at 77 (1859-1936)
- Birthplace: Bromsgrove, United Kingdom
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- Also ranks #104 on The Best Gay Authors
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- 38Poems of Wordsworth, guide to English literature and Essay on Gray, Matthew Arnold's books
Matthew Arnold, a Victorian poet and critic, is renowned for his exploration of themes such as faith, doubt, and the human condition. His works, such as "Dover Beach" and "The Scholar-Gipsy," display his intellectual depth and his ability to engage with complex philosophical issues.
- Age: Dec. at 65 (1822-1888)
- Birthplace: Laleham, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #46 on The 75+ Best Essayists Of All Time, Ranked
- Also ranks #154 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
- Also ranks #603 on The Greatest Minds of All Time
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- 39
D. H. Lawrence, a 20th-century poet and novelist, is celebrated for his passionate exploration of love, sexuality, and the human spirit. His works, such as "Sons and Lovers" and "Lady Chatterley's Lover," reveal his deep engagement with the natural world and his keen understanding of human relationships.
- Age: Dec. at 44 (1885-1930)
- Birthplace: Eastwood, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #14 on The Most Controversial Writers of All Time
- Also ranks #31 on Who Is The Most Famous Lawrence In The World?
- Also ranks #36 on The Best Gay Authors
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- 40
Seamus Heaney, a 20th-century Irish poet, is renowned for his evocative depictions of rural life and his exploration of themes such as history, politics, and the nature of art. His works, such as "Death of a Naturalist" and "North," display his deep connection to his native land and his ability to find universal themes in everyday experiences.
- Age: Dec. at 74 (1939-2013)
- Birthplace: Castledawson, United Kingdom
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- Also ranks #17 on The 75 Best Poets Of The 20th Century, Ranked
- Also ranks #43 on The Hottest Dead Writers
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- 41
John Clare, a 19th-century poet, is renowned for his vivid descriptions of rural life and his deep connection to the natural world. His works, such as "The Shepherd's Calendar" and "I Am," reveal his keen observations of everyday experiences and his ability to find beauty and meaning in the mundane.
- Age: Dec. at 70 (1793-1864)
- Birthplace: Helpston, United Kingdom
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- 42
Robert Herrick, a 17th-century poet, is celebrated for his lyrical evocations of rural life and his exploration of themes such as love, beauty, and the passage of time. His works, such as "Hesperides" and "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time," display his deep connection to the English countryside and his ability to convey universal emotions with simplicity and grace.
- Age: Dec. at 83 (1591-1674)
- Birthplace: Cheapside, United Kingdom
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- 43Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 1906 – 19 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack". He was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture. He began his career as a journalist and ended it as one of the most popular British Poets Laureate and a much-loved figure on British television.
- Age: Dec. at 77 (1906-1984)
- Birthplace: Highgate, London, United Kingdom
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- 44
Richard Lovelace
Come pretty birds present your lays, Tell me not (Sweet) I am unkind, Small type of great onesRichard Lovelace (pronounced /lʌvlɪs/, homophone of "loveless") (9 December 1617 – 1657) was an English poet in the seventeenth century. He was a cavalier poet who fought on behalf of the king during the Civil War. His best known works are "To Althea, from Prison", and "To Lucasta, Going to the Warres".- Age: Dec. at 39 (1618-1657)
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- 45Henry Vaughan (17 April 1621 – 23 April 1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet, author, translator and physician, who wrote in English. He is chiefly known for the religious poetry contained in Silex Scintillans, published in 1650, with a second part published in 1655. In 1646 his Poems, with the Tenth Satyre of Juvenal Englished was published, followed by a second volume in 1647. Meanwhile, he had been "converted" by reading the religious poet George Herbert and gave up "idle verse". The prose Mount of Olives: or, Solitary Devotions (1652) show the depth of his religious convictions and the authenticity of his poetic genius. Two more volumes of secular verse were published, ostensibly without his sanction; but it is his religious verse that has become acclaimed. He also translated short moral and religious works and two medical works in prose. At some time in the 1650s he began to practise medicine and continued to do so throughout his life.
- Age: Dec. at 74 (1621-1695)
- Birthplace: Brecknockshire, United Kingdom
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- 46
T. E. Hulme
The collected writings of T.E. Hulme, Selected writings, Notes on language and styleThomas Ernest Hulme (; 16 September 1883 – 28 September 1917) was an English critic and poet who, through his writings on art, literature and politics, had a notable influence upon modernism. He was an aesthetic philosopher and the 'father of imagism'.- Age: Dec. at 34 (1883-1917)
- Birthplace: Endon, United Kingdom
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- 47Frederick Louis MacNeice (12 September 1907 – 3 September 1963) was a British poet and playwright from Northern Ireland, and a member of the Auden Group, which also included W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender and Cecil Day-Lewis. MacNeice's body of work was widely appreciated by the public during his lifetime, due in part to his relaxed but socially and emotionally aware style. Never as overtly or simplistically political as some of his contemporaries, he expressed a humane opposition to totalitarianism as well as an acute awareness of his roots.
- Age: Dec. at 55 (1907-1963)
- Birthplace: Belfast, United Kingdom
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- 48William Morris was an English textile designer, poet, novelist, translator, and socialist activist. Associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement, he was a major contributor to the revival of traditional British textile arts and methods of production. His literary contributions helped to establish the modern fantasy genre, while he played a significant role in propagating the early socialist movement in Britain. Born in Walthamstow, Essex to a wealthy middle-class family, Morris came under the strong influence of medievalism while studying Classics at Oxford University, there joining the Birmingham Set. After university he trained as an architect, married Jane Burden, and developed close friendships with the Pre-Raphaelite artists Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti and with the Neo-Gothic architect Philip Webb. Webb and Morris designed a family home, Red House in Kent, where the latter lived from 1859 to 1865, before relocating to Bloomsbury, central London. In 1861, Morris founded a decorative arts firm with Burne-Jones, Rossetti, Webb, and others: the Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co.
- Age: Dec. at 62 (1834-1896)
- Birthplace: Walthamstow, United Kingdom
- Also ranks #22 on Who Is The Most Famous Morris In The World?
- Also ranks #148 on The Best Fantasy Authors
- Also ranks #381 on The 500+ Best Writers of All Time
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- 49
Thomas Nashe
The Unfortunate Traveller, Pierce Penniless's supplication to the Devil, DidoThomas Nashe (baptised November 1567 – c. 1601) [also Nash] was an Elizabethan playwright, poet, satirist and a significant pamphleteer. He is known for his novel The Unfortunate Traveller, his pamphlets including Pierce Penniless, and his numerous defences of the Church of England.- Age: Dec. at 33 (1567-1601)
- Birthplace: Lowestoft, United Kingdom
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- 50Samuel Butler (4 December 1835 – 18 June 1902) was the iconoclastic English author of the Utopian satirical novel Erewhon (1872) and the semi-autobiographical Bildungsroman The Way of All Flesh, published posthumously in 1903. Both have remained in print ever since. In other studies he examined Christian orthodoxy, evolutionary thought, and Italian art, and made prose translations of the Iliad and Odyssey that are still consulted today. He was also an artist.
- Age: Dec. at 66 (1835-1902)
- Birthplace: Langar, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
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- 51Samuel Butler was a poet and satirist. He is remembered now chiefly for a long satirical poem entitled Hudibras.
- Age: Dec. at 68 (1612-1680)
- Birthplace: Strensham, United Kingdom
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- 52Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He was also the first American to translate Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and was one of the Fireside Poets from New England. Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine, which was then still part of Massachusetts. He studied at Bowdoin College and, after spending time in Europe, he became a professor at Bowdoin and later at Harvard College. His first major poetry collections were Voices of the Night (1839) and Ballads and Other Poems (1841). Longfellow retired from teaching in 1854 to focus on his writing, and he lived the remainder of his life in a former Revolutionary War headquarters of George Washington in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His first wife Mary Potter died in 1835 after a miscarriage. His second wife Frances Appleton died in 1861 after sustaining burns when her dress caught fire. After her death, Longfellow had difficulty writing poetry for a time and focused on translating works from foreign languages. He died in 1882. Longfellow wrote many lyric poems known for their musicality and often presenting stories of mythology and legend. He became the most popular American poet of his day and also had success overseas. He has been criticized, however, for imitating European styles and writing specifically for the masses.
- Age: Dec. at 75 (1807-1882)
- Birthplace: Portland, Maine
- Also ranks #7 on The 63 Best American Poets, Ranked
- Also ranks #23 on The Best Romantic Era Poets
- Also ranks #31 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
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- 53Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea (née Kingsmill; April 1661 – 5 August 1720), was an English poet and courtier. Finch's works often express a desire for respect as a female poet, lamenting her difficult position as a woman in the literary establishment and the court, while writing of "political ideology, religious orientation, and aesthetic sensibility". Her works also allude to other female authors of the time, such as Aphra Behn and Katherine Phillips. Through her commentary on the mental and spiritual equality of the genders and the importance of women fulfilling their potential as a moral duty to themselves and to society, she is regarded as one of the integral female poets of the Restoration Era. Finch died in Westminster in 1720 and was buried at her home at Eastwell, Kent.
- Age: Dec. at 59 (1661-1720)
- Birthplace: Hampshire, United Kingdom
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- 54The gouernour, Sir Thomas Elyot's The book named the governor, The book named the governorSir Thomas Elyot (c. 1490 – 26 March 1546) was an English diplomat and scholar.
- Age: Dec. at 56 (1490-1546)
- Birthplace: Wiltshire, United Kingdom
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- 55Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918) was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I, and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. He is best known for writing the famous war memorial poem "In Flanders Fields". McCrae died of pneumonia near the end of the war.
- Age: Dec. at 45 (1872-1918)
- Birthplace: Guelph, Canada
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- 56
David Jones
Letters to William Hayward, David Jones, The fatigueWalter David Jones CH, CBE (known as David Jones, 1 November 1895 – 28 October 1974) was both a painter and one of the first-generation British modernist poets. As a painter he worked chiefly in watercolour, painting portraits and animal, landscape, legendary and religious subjects. He was also a wood-engraver and designer of inscriptions. As a writer he was considered by T. S. Eliot to be of major importance, and his work The Anathemata was considered by W. H. Auden to be the best long poem written in English in the 20th century. Help in forming his work came from his Christian beliefs and Welsh heritage.- Age: Dec. at 78 (1895-1974)
- Birthplace: Brockley, London, United Kingdom
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57Simon Armitage
Climate of Change, The Odyssey, The ShoutSimon Robert Armitage, (born 26 May 1963) is an English poet, playwright and novelist. He is professor of poetry at the University of Leeds and succeeded Geoffrey Hill as Oxford Professor of Poetry when he was elected to the 4-year part-time appointment from 2015–2019. On 10 May 2019 it was announced that Armitage would be the next Poet Laureate.- Age: 61
- Birthplace: Marsden, United Kingdom
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- 58George Granville Barker (26 February 1913 – 27 October 1991) was an English poet, identified with the New Apocalyptics movement, which reacted against 1930s realism with mythical and surrealistic themes. His long liaison with Elizabeth Smart was the subject of her cult-novel By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept.
- Age: Dec. at 78 (1913-1991)
- Birthplace: Loughton, United Kingdom
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- 59
Lionel Johnson
Poetical works of Lionel Johnson, Complete poems, Some letters to Richard Le GallienneLionel Pigot Johnson (15 March 1867 – 4 October 1902) was an English poet, essayist, and critic.- Age: Dec. at 35 (1867-1902)
- Birthplace: Broadstairs, United Kingdom
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- 60
Henry Reed
El Despertar de Los Poderes Psiquicos, La Ayuda de Los Suenos, A.B. Frost Book- Age: 81
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- 61Thomson William "Thom" Gunn (29 August 1929 – 25 April 2004), was an English poet who was praised for his early verses in England, where he was associated with The Movement and his later poetry in America, even after moving toward a looser, free-verse style. After relocating from England to San Francisco, Gunn wrote about gay-related topics—particularly in his most famous work, The Man With Night Sweats in 1992—as well as drug use, sex and his bohemian lifestyle. He won major literary awards and his best poems have a compact philosophical elegance.
- Age: Dec. at 74 (1929-2004)
- Birthplace: Gravesend, United Kingdom
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- 62Sir Kingsley William Amis, CBE (16 April 1922 – 22 October 1995) was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, various short stories, radio and television scripts, along with works of social and literary criticism. According to his biographer, Zachary Leader, Amis was "the finest English comic novelist of the second half of the twentieth century." He is the father of British novelist Martin Amis. In 2008, The Times ranked him ninth on a list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.
- Age: Dec. at 73 (1922-1995)
- Birthplace: England, London
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- 63
Nicholas Grimald
Tottel's MiscellanyNicholas Grimald (or Grimoald) (1519–1562) was an English poet and dramatist.- Age: Dec. at 43 (1519-1562)
- Birthplace: Huntingdonshire, England
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- 64
Hugh Sykes Davies
Browning and the modern novel, The poets and their critics, Realism in the dramaHugh Sykes Davies (1909 – 1984) was an English poet, novelist and communist who was one of a small group of 1930s British surrealists. Davies was born in Yorkshire to a Methodist minister and his wife. He went to Kingswood School, Bath and studied at Cambridge, where he co-edited a student magazine called Experiment with William Empson. He spent some time in Paris during the 1930s. He was to stand as a communist candidate in the 1940 general election, but the vote was cancelled because of World War II. He was one of the organisers of the London International Surrealist Exhibition in 1936. He had a talent for friendship, and as well as Empson, he numbered T. S. Eliot, I. A. Richards, Anthony Blunt, Wittgenstein and Salvador Dalí amongst his circle. At one stage he had Malcolm Lowry declared his ward in an attempt to stop Lowry's drinking. Davies' poems were mostly published in avant garde magazines and were not collected during his lifetime. His novels include Full Fathom Five (1956) and The Papers of Andrew Melmoth (1960). He also wrote Petron (1935). He appears in the Canadian National Film Board's feature-length documentary "Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry" talking about Lowry and their friendship. He was a University Lecturer and Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge.- Age: Dec. at 75 (1909-1984)
- Birthplace: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
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- 65Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, was a seminal figure in the field of literature and activism. She is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences, the first and most highly acclaimed of which, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, tells of her life up to the age of seventeen and brought her international recognition and acclaim. Angelou's life was marked by a series of remarkable metamorphoses: from a child victim of racism, to a single mother working odd jobs to secure her son's future; from a nightclub dancer and performer to a renowned poet and author; from a coordinator for Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference to a friend and advisor to two U.S. Presidents. She mastered several languages and worked as a newspaper editor in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded her the country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for her collected works of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Maya Angelou's contributions to literature and culture were not limited to her prolific writing. She also held a successful career in the arts, including stage performance, directing, producing, and acting in film and television. A trailblazer in the truest sense, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the 1973 play Look Away and for a Pulitzer Prize for her 1971 volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie. Maya Angelou passed away on May 28, 2014, but her words and influence continue to resonate, inspiring countless individuals worldwide.
- Age: Dec. at 86 (1928-2014)
- Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Also ranks #1 on The Greatest Black Female Poets
- Also ranks #2 on The Best African American Poets Of All Time, Ranked
- Also ranks #5 on The Best Female Poets of All Time
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- 66John Orley Allen Tate (November 19, 1899 – February 9, 1979), known professionally as Allen Tate, was an American poet, essayist, social commentator, and Poet Laureate from 1943 to 1944.
- Age: Dec. at 79 (1899-1979)
- Birthplace: Winchester, Kentucky
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- 67Donald Grady Davidson (August 8, 1893 – April 25, 1968) was a U.S. poet, essayist, social and literary critic, and author. An English professor at Vanderbilt University from 1920 to 1965, he was a founding member of the Fugitives and the overlapping group Southern Agrarians, two literary groups based in Nashville, Tennessee. He was a supporter of segregation in the United States.
- Age: Dec. at 74 (1893-1968)
- Birthplace: Tennessee
- Also ranks #60 on The 63 Best American Poets, Ranked
- Also ranks #74 on The 75 Best Poets Of The 20th Century, Ranked
- Also ranks #245 on The Greatest Poets of All Time
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