The Dymock poets were a

literary Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...

group of the early 20th century who made their homes near the village of

Dymock Dymock is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire, England, about four miles south of Ledbury. In 2014 the parish had an estimated population of 1,205. Dymock is the origin of the Dymock Red, a cider apple ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, in England, near to the border with

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

Significant figures and events

The 'Dymock Poets' are generally held to have comprised

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...

Lascelles Abercrombie Lascelles Abercrombie, (9 January 1881 – 27 October 1938) was a British poet and literary critic, one of the "Dymock poets". After the First World War he worked as a professor of English literature in a number of English universities, w ...

Rupert Brooke Rupert Chawner Brooke (3 August 1887 – 23 April 1915)The date of Brooke's death and burial under the Julian calendar that applied in Greece at the time was 10 April. The Julian calendar was 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. was an En ...

, Edward Thomas,

Wilfrid Wilson Gibson Wilfrid Wilson Gibson (2 October 1878 – 26 May 1962) was a British Georgian poet, associated with World War I but also the author of much later work. Early work Gibson was born in Hexham, Northumberland, and left the north for London in 1914 ...

and John Drinkwater, some of whom lived near the village in the period between 1911 and 1914.

Eleanor Farjeon Eleanor Farjeon (13 February 1881 – 5 June 1965) was an English author of children's stories and plays, poetry, biography, history and satire. Several of her works had illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. Some of her correspondence has also be ...

, who was involved with Edward Thomas, also visited. The group published their own quarterly, titled ''New Numbers'', containing poems such as Brooke's " The Soldier", published in 1915. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Edward Thomas joined the army, on 19 July 1915, with the initial rank of private. After just two years, on 9 April 1917, he was promoted to second lieutenant but shortly after, at the age of thirty- eight, he was killed in the British offensive at Arras by the blast of a shell. The death of Thomas saw the break-up of the community. Abercrombie, Brooke, Drinkwater and Gibson were poets who had contributed to ''

The Westminster Gazette ''The Westminster Gazette'' was an influential Liberal newspaper based in London. It was known for publishing sketches and short stories, including early works by Raymond Chandler, Anthony Hope, D. H. Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield, and Saki, ...

'' and were considered

Georgian poets Georgian Poetry refers to a series of anthologies showcasing the work of a school of English poetry that established itself during the early years of the reign of King George V of the United Kingdom. The Georgian poets were, by the strictest ...

. The 'Georgian' style, particularly its versification, fell out of favour in the 1920s and 1930s, but at the time was considered 'advanced', and a precursor of 'modernism'. It used simple language and took as its subjects ordinary events and people. Abercrombie died in 1938 while Gibson lived on until 1962. Edward Marsh, the group's artistic and literary patron, edited the five volumes of ''Georgian Poetry'' which were published by

Harold Monro Harold Edward Monro (14 March 1879 – 16 March 1932) was an English poet born in Brussels, Belgium. As the proprietor of the Poetry Bookshop in London, he helped many poets to bring their work before the public. Life and career Monro was born ...

. Drinkwater had close connections with the

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre c ...

at the

Old Rep The Old Rep (originally Birmingham Repertory Theatre) is the United Kingdom's first ever purpose-built repertory theatre, constructed in 1913, located on Station Street in Birmingham, England. The theatre was a permanent home for Barry Jackso ...

in Station Street, which opened in 1913. He was its first manager, and wrote several plays for the company, mainly historical pieces and light comedies. Robert Frost, who became the most successful of the men, returned to America on 13 February 1915. During his career as a poet he received four

Pulitzer Prizes The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made hi ...

and was honoured twice by the Senate. During the presidential

inauguration of John F. Kennedy The inauguration of John F. Kennedy as the 35th president of the United States was held on Friday, January 20, 1961, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It was the 44th inauguration, marking the commencement of ...

, Frost recited his poem " The Gift Outright", the first time that a poet had been so honoured during an inauguration.

References

External links

Dymock Poets Archive
University of Gloucestershire Archives and Special Collections
The Friends of the Dymock Poets

Dymock Community Website

The Edward Thomas Fellowship
English poetry English literary movements 20th-century British literature * Dymock {{England-stub

Significant figures and events

See also

References

Further reading

External links