Because over 100 poets, playwrights and writers are buried there, the South Transept of Westminster Abbey in London, England is known as Poets' Corner.
Geoffrey Chaucer, author of 'The Canterbury Tales,” was the first poet interred in Poets' Corner. When he was buried there in 1400, it was not because he was a poet, but because he was Clerk of the King's Works. 198 years later, Edmund Spenser, author of 'The Faerie Queene,' asked to be buried near Chaucer. This began the tradition of either interring famous writers there or erecting memorials for those buried elsewhere. William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters and Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling and Thomas Hardy are all represented in this area of Westminster. More recent memorials acknowledge Ted Hughes, C.S. Lewis and Philip Larkin. Not everyone buried or memorialized in the South Transept are poets. Musician George Frederic Handel is also buried there, as are several prominent clergymen and actors.
Geoffrey Chaucer, author of 'The Canterbury Tales,” was the first poet interred in Poets' Corner. When he was buried there in 1400, it was not because he was a poet, but because he was Clerk of the King's Works. 198 years later, Edmund Spenser, author of 'The Faerie Queene,' asked to be buried near Chaucer. This began the tradition of either interring famous writers there or erecting memorials for those buried elsewhere. William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters and Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling and Thomas Hardy are all represented in this area of Westminster. More recent memorials acknowledge Ted Hughes, C.S. Lewis and Philip Larkin. Not everyone buried or memorialized in the South Transept are poets. Musician George Frederic Handel is also buried there, as are several prominent clergymen and actors.
On November 11, 1985 a memorial stone was laid in Poets Corner recognizing the poets of World War I. This stone has the name of 16 British poets who also served as soldiers during the Great War. Some had died during the war. Others went on to live full lives. All seemed tormented by their experiences. At the time of its dedication, only Robert Graves was alive to see his name etched in the stone.
In 2021, as part of my promotion for my World War I book, A Blaze of Poppies, I wrote a series of blogs on World War I poets. I included all of the poets whose names are on the Westminster stone, plus a few who were American or Canadian. Links to each of these blogs is listed below. The names in red are on the stone. The names in green are not. Names in purple did not serve in the war, but wrote about it. May all of these names continue to be remembered both for their service on the battlefield and their contributions to our literary heritage.
In 2021, as part of my promotion for my World War I book, A Blaze of Poppies, I wrote a series of blogs on World War I poets. I included all of the poets whose names are on the Westminster stone, plus a few who were American or Canadian. Links to each of these blogs is listed below. The names in red are on the stone. The names in green are not. Names in purple did not serve in the war, but wrote about it. May all of these names continue to be remembered both for their service on the battlefield and their contributions to our literary heritage.
Edward Thomas https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/october-14th-2021
Richard Aldington https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/trench-idyll-of-richard-aldington
Siegfried Sassoon https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/siegfried-sassoon
Robert Graves https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/two-fusiliers-and-two-poets
Laurence Binyon https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/for-the-fallen
Isaac Rosenberg https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/break-of-day-in-the-trenches
Julian Grenfell https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/a-poem-to-lead-men-into-battle
Henry Chappell https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/a-poem-for-a-horse
Wilfred Owen https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/dulce-et-decorum-est
John McCrae https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/in-flanders-fields
Ivor Gurney https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/on-somme-by-ivor-gurney
Alan Seeger https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/a-rendevous-with-death
Edmund Blunden https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/a-poet-looks-back-at-world-war-i
Rupert Brooke https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/rupert-brooke-the-golden-boy-of-wwi-poets
Wilfrid Gibson https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/two-poems-by-wilfrid-wilson-gibson
David Jones https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/david-jones-wwi-poet-and-painter
Robert Nichols https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/robert-nichols-wwi-poet
Charles Sorley https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/charles-hamilton-sorley-world-war-i-poet
Herbert Read https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/herbert-read-world-war-i-poet
Edgar Albert Guest https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/the-wrist-watch-man
Richard Aldington https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/trench-idyll-of-richard-aldington
Siegfried Sassoon https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/siegfried-sassoon
Robert Graves https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/two-fusiliers-and-two-poets
Laurence Binyon https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/for-the-fallen
Isaac Rosenberg https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/break-of-day-in-the-trenches
Julian Grenfell https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/a-poem-to-lead-men-into-battle
Henry Chappell https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/a-poem-for-a-horse
Wilfred Owen https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/dulce-et-decorum-est
John McCrae https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/in-flanders-fields
Ivor Gurney https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/on-somme-by-ivor-gurney
Alan Seeger https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/a-rendevous-with-death
Edmund Blunden https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/a-poet-looks-back-at-world-war-i
Rupert Brooke https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/rupert-brooke-the-golden-boy-of-wwi-poets
Wilfrid Gibson https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/two-poems-by-wilfrid-wilson-gibson
David Jones https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/david-jones-wwi-poet-and-painter
Robert Nichols https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/robert-nichols-wwi-poet
Charles Sorley https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/charles-hamilton-sorley-world-war-i-poet
Herbert Read https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/herbert-read-world-war-i-poet
Edgar Albert Guest https://jenniferbohnhoff.com/thin-air-my-blog-about-writing-and-my-books/the-wrist-watch-man
Jennifer Bohnhoff's novel A Blaze of Poppies was published in October 2021, and tells the story of a ranching woman from Southern New Mexico during the turbulent years of World War !. It is on sale on Amazon for .99 from January 15-20, 2022.
