A.E Housman

Alfred Edward Housman was born in 1859 in Worcestershire England, and died in 1936. He was the oldest child in the family and attended Oxford on a scholarship to study literature and philosophy. After completing his college education he went on to write scholarly articles for academic journals while still continuing to study the classics. Due to his talent he became a professor of Latin at University College in London. Due to his strict and critical nature his students did not always feel comfortable around him. Housman was also a poet. The first collection of poems he published was A Shropshire Lad in 1896. He ended up publishing the work himself after being rejected by many publishing companies. This book was a success due to its simple writing and regular rhythm. The collection Last Poems was published 25 years after the first. Housman's poetry is influential because it depicts the pessimistic outlook of the late Victorian era . Housman used themes such as death, declining religion and loss of love and youth to portray this time. A good example of such a poem is To and Athlete Dying Young which characterizes the passing of youth and glory.