Esmé Gladys Hooton (1914–1992) was an English poet. She is the author of two collections of poetry: ''City Sonnets'', published by

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...

in 1947, and ''Zoo'', published by Peter Scupham's Mandeville Press in 1980 with illustrations by

David Holbrook David Kenneth Holbrook (9 January 1923 – 11 August 2011) was a British writer, poet and academic. From 1989 he was an Emeritus Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge. Life David Holbrook was born in Norwich in 1923. He was educated at City of N ...

and an introduction by John Mole. Three poems from ''City Sonnets''—"The Prophet," "Poor Bloom," and "At the Touch of Summer"—were included by

Geoffrey Grigson Geoffrey Edward Harvey Grigson (2 March 1905 – 25 November 1985) was a British poet, writer, editor, critic, exhibition curator, anthologist and naturalist. In the 1930s he was editor of the influential magazine ''New Verse'', and went on to p ...

in his 1949 anthology ''Poetry of the Present.'' Hooton's poem "The Thickening Veil" was set to music by composer Ivor Walsworth, and performed at

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadin ...

in 1955. Though unpublished for 24 years, ''Zoo'' had been featured on

BBC Home Service The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4. History 1922–1939: Interwar period Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...

in 1956, read as a sequence with incidental music by

Elisabeth Lutyens Agnes Elisabeth Lutyens, CBE (9 July 190614 April 1983) was an English composer. Early life and education Elisabeth Lutyens was born in London on 9 July 1906. She was one of the five children of Lady Emily Bulwer-Lytton (1874–1964), a me ...

. Hooton's work was also featured on the Home Service in 1943 and on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

in 1983.

References

20th-century English poets English women poets 1914 births 1992 deaths 20th-century English women 20th-century English people {{England-poet-stub