In the grand tapestry of American literature, the threads of the famous are often woven with the brightest gold, their names—Whitman, Dickinson, Poe—echoing through the ages. But the strength and beauty of the cloth also depend on the countless subtle, sturdy threads that provide its foundation, its texture, and its often overlooked complexity. Phoebe Cary was one such thread. A poet of sharp wit, profound empathy, a…
“I have always felt that if I could only get away from Cincinnati, I could do something.”
Neighbourhood:
American Poets, Hymn Writers, Victorian Poets, Women Poets
Emotional landscape: Sorrow, Longing, Tenderness
Ralph Hodgson was born on 9 September 1871 in Darlington, County Durham, and died on 3 November 1962 in Minerva, Ohio. His life traversed an astonishing stretch of history: the late Victorian industrial world, the upheaval of two world wars, the flowering and fragmentation of literary modernism, and the gradual emergence of a more public consciousness about animals and the natural environment. Yet his poetry seems to…
“I must have been the most disappointed boy in England after I had stopped him with many apologies and put my question, for I got the answer: Twenty minutes past four, my lad. The old man was stone deaf.”
Neighbourhood:
Edwardian Poets, Georgian Poets, Nature Poets
Emotional landscape: Wonder, Tenderness, Joy
