In “Mariner: A Voyage with Samuel Taylor Coleridge,” Malcolm Guite tells the story of the poet’s life through the words and themes of his most famous poem.
Understanding the Life and Art of William Blake
Two books on William Blake, “Eternity’s Sunrise” by Leo Damrosch and “Blake: A Biography” by Peter Ackroyd, provide an in-depth look at the artist and poet.
In Search of William Blake
A close look at the poet and artist William Blake provides some surprising facts about a man largely unknown in his own lifetime.
Lexicographer Samuel Johnson: Bookended by Poetry
Poetry formed the bookends of the professional life of Samuel Johnson, the great lexicographer.
The Fierce Convictions of Hannah More
“She may be the most famous person I never heard of.” Karen Swallow Prior’s biography of Hannah More, “Fierce Convictions, ” brings a life back into the knowledge it deserves.
The World War I Poets in the War
Max Egremont’s “Some Desperate Glory” combines history, biography and poetry to describe the World War I that the war poets experienced.
Poets and Poems: Meeting Edgar Allan Poe
A new short biography of Edgar Allan Poe serves as an excellent introduction to an American literary icon.