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Charles Causley Biography | Poet

Photo of Charles Causley

People who struggle to name a Cornish poet should mention Charles Causley specifically. Not only was he born in Launceston, Cornwall, England, but Charles Causley specifically managed to capture the spirit of Cornish culture and helped to keep it alive in his poetry. He was born on the twenty-fourth of August in 1917 and passed away on the fourth of November in 2003. He managed to live until the age of eighty-six, which is certainly a lifespan that many people could and would envy. Many of his poems were ballads, and his most famous work is probably Green Man In The Garden.

The Educative Beginnings of Charles Causley

Charles Causley received his early life education in both Cornwall and Peterborough. Being raised in these places, he managed to develop a strong affinity for the local cultures, which gave him the background that he would later need in order to become a successful poet in the associated areas. Sadly, Charles Causey was forced to leave school at the age of only fifteen in order to work. He later became a teacher at Former National School, Launceston, where he had been a student previously. He is very much a poet who managed to make the most of the education that he did receive.

Charles Causley's Family and Employment History

Unfortunately, Charles Causley lost his father when he was very young. His father had fought in World War One, and he died of the lingering injuries from that conflict. When Charles Causley left school at the age of fifteen in order to earn money, he specifically became an office boy. Charles Causley later joined the Royal Navy himself in order to serve in World War Two, where he was a coder on the H.M.S. Eclipse. His experiences there helped inform the poetry that he would later write.

Charles Causley was overall a very private and introspective person for the most part. Many people would remark upon that during his own lifetime, but he was not an antisocial individual. He was simply a quiet artist who tended to keep to himself throughout his life, honing his craft with greater precision.

The Great Works and Awards of Charles Causley

Charles Causley become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in the year 1958. In the year 1986, he received a CBE. Hands to Dance and Skylark, Farewell, Aggie Weston, and the song Song of the Dying Gunner A.A.1 are among his most celebrated works. Survivor's Leave and Green Man In The Garden are also well-known works of his.

Like many artists, the popularity of Charles Causley's work has shifted over time and certain poems have become more popular in recent years. Many people today now like his poem Eden Rock, even though it was less celebrated earlier on, since it touches on such universal themes of birth and death.

Remembering Charles Causley Forever

Charles Causley is something of a hero among the Cornish people, and this seems to be becoming more and more pronounced all the time. However, even outside of the Cornish people who are trying to achieve some measure of solidarity with someone who represents their culture, people are loving the poetry of Charles Causley more than ever.

He is still a fairly recent poet, but not a poet who is so recent that he is going to seem overly familiar. Still, his death was more than a decade ago, and yet people are still interested in his poetry, so it cannot be dismissed as affection for a recently deceased artist. Charles Causley had a wonderfully simple and direct style that many people are going to have a hard time finding among the extremely modernistic poets today. Many people love the folkloric themes that he touches on in his work, especially when it comes to the traditionalist Cornish folklore that he was able to maintain.

Among the people of the United Kingdom in general, he has become one of the most famous poets in recent years, personifying the standard of the poet who has a tendency to become more famous later in life or even after his death. However, he was not an unknown in his own life, demonstrating that this is not a black and white issue. It is possible to have relative levels of fame. 


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Book: Shattered Sighs