Top 100 Most Famous Poets of All Time

William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He is one of the world's most highly esteemed writers, and is thought to be the most quoted author in history, second only to the Bible. His plays and poems have been studied, analyzed, read, and loved for centuries.

William Wordsworth was a renowned English Romantic Movement poet who lived from 1770 to 1850. Known for his deep appreciation of nature, his poems often celebrated the beauty of the natural world and explored themes of memory, imagination, and childhood. Wordsworth's most famous works include "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey" and "The Prelude," an autobiographical epic. Along with fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, he published the groundbreaking collection "Lyrical Ballads," which marked a turning point in English literature. Wordsworth's writings continue to be widely studied and cherished for their lyrical beauty and profound insights into the human experience.

Emily Dickinson, born on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts, is one of the premier American poets of the 19th century. She is an American poetess who died at the age of 56.

An Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, short story writer and Freemason.. Irish writer playwright and poet

Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, philosopher, visual artist, playwright, composer, and novelist from India. He won the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Robert Frost, one of America's most celebrated poets, was born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco, California. Despite facing personal and professional challenges, Frost's literary career flourished, and he became known for his vivid depictions of rural life and the human experience. His poetry often explored themes of nature, human existence, and the complexities of the human psyche. Frost received numerous accolades for his work, including four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. His most famous works include "The Road Not Taken," "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," and "Mending Wall." Frost's profound impact on American literature continues to be felt, and his legacy as a literary giant endures to this day. He is one the foremost poets of the 20th century and winner of four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.

​Edgar Allan Poe is an American poet and short story writer best known for his tales of the macabre. Poe was an author, poet, editor, and literary critic most famously known for his poem "The Raven".

Langston Hughes was an influential African-American poet and writer who was a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance. This cultural movement celebrated the artistic and intellectual achievements of African Americans. Born on February 1, 1901, in Joplin, Missouri, Hughes grew up in a time of racial segregation and discrimination. He is best known for his insightful and powerful poetry, often addressing identity, racism, and social injustice. Hughes' work was celebrated for its lyricism and portrayal of the African-American experience. Throughout his career, he wrote novels, short stories, plays, and essays and advocated for civil rights. His impact on American literature and culture is immeasurable, and his work continues to be studied and celebrated today. Langston Hughes passed away on May 22, 1967, but his legacy lives on through his influential and enduring literary contributions.

American poet Walt Whitman, born on May 31, 1819, is recognized as one of the most influential poets and writers in the world. He transformed poetry with his free verse style, departing from traditional forms to allow for greater expression and emotion. His work often celebrates democracy and the human spirit, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all people. Whitman's influence can be seen in many modern writers, and his bold approach to self-expression has paved the way for future generations of poets and authors. Whitman's contributions to literature have left a lasting legacy that continues to inspire.

Rudyard Kipling was a British short-story writer, poet, and novelist, born in Mumbai, India and educated in England. One of Kipling's most famous works is The Jungle Books; a collection of poems and stories.

Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Annie Johnson, was a Pulitzer Prize-winning African American poet. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 8 1928 and died in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on May 28, 2014. Angelou was also a dancer, an actress and a singer.

William Blake (born on November 28, 1757 in London's West End) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. He was one of the greatest poets of the Romantic era.

Shel Silverstein was a multi-talented American artist from Chicago. He was known as a poet, songwriter, musician, composer, screenwriter, and author of children's literature. His unique ability to combine poetry with music made his songs resonate with both children and adults, leaving a lasting impact. In addition to his words, his illustrations are also widely recognized and add a playful element to his poetry, captivating young readers. Silverstein's work often explores themes of imagination and adventure, encouraging children to dream big and embrace their creativity. His contributions to children's literature have had a profound impact on generations, making him a beloved figure in American culture.

Pablo Neruda is a Chilean poet, author, and communist activist considered one of the most influential poets of the 20th century. His real name was Ricardo Eliecer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto.

Sylvia Plath was a troubled American poet, novelist, short story writer, and essayist. Plath posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982.

William Butler Yeats, who is often considered to be one of the foremost figures of the 20th century literature, was born in Sandymount Castle, Dublin (Ireland) on June 13, 1865. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms. Yeats was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and, along with Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn, and others, founded the Abbey Theatre, where he served as its chief during its early years.

Alfred Lord Tennyson was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1850–1892 and is one of the most popular English poets. He lived from 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892.

Edward Estlin Cummings, born October 14 1894, was a great 20th century American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright.

Christina Georgina Rossetti was an English poet who wrote a variety of romantic, devotional, and children's poems. She is best known for her long poem Goblin Market, her love poem Remember, and for the words of the Christmas carol In the Bleak Midwinter.. English poet

Henry Charles Bukowski was a German-American poet, novelist and short story writer.

Sarojini Naidu, (born as Sarojini Chattopadhyaya) also known by the sobriquet as The Nightingale of India, was a child prodigy, Indian independence activist and poet. Naidu was one of the formers of the Indian Constitution. Naidu was the first Indian woman to become the President of the Indian National Congress and the first woman to become the Governor of Uttar Pradesh state. Her birthday is celebrated as women's day all over India.

American poet and educator Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is one of the greatest poets in American history. Born in Portland, Maine, He became professor of Modern Languages in Harvard University; wrote "Hyperion," a romance in prose, and a succession of poems as well as lyrics, among the former "Evangeline," "The Golden Legend," "Hiawatha," and "Miles Standish"

Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet best known for writing pithy and funny light verse. At the time of his death in 1971, the New York Times said his "droll verse with its unconventional rhymes made him the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry".

Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan was an Indian poet from around the 16th century. He is known as "The Father Of The Malayalam language" — the principal language of the Indian state of Kerala. He was born in Trikkantiyur, in the town of Tirur, in Vettathunadu. Thunchaththu is his family name, Ramanujan his given name, and Ezhuthachan (schoolmaster) is an honorific title or the last name indicating his caste. His name is transliterated in several ways, including Thunchath Ezhuthachan, Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, Thunchaththu Ezhuthachchan and Thunjath Ezhuthachan .

Alice Walker is an American poet, activist, author and feminist. She is one of the most celebrated in modern history. Her most famous work, The Color Purple, won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and it remains one of the bestselling books in the United States.

Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa, widely known by the pen name Kuvempu or by the abbreviation K. V. Puttappa, was a Kannada writer and poet, widely regarded as the greatest poet of 20th century Kannada literature. He is the first among eight recipients of Jnanpith Award for Kannada. Puttappa wrote all his literary works using the pen name Kuvempu.

Billy Collins is an American poet who served two terms as the 44th Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001–2003. He's arguably the greatest poet of the 21st century.

Pam Ayres is an English poet, comedian, songwriter and presenter of radio and television programmes. Her 1975 appearance on the television talent show Opportunity Knocks led to a variety of appearances on TV and radio shows, a one-woman touring stage show and performing before the Queen .

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born on May 25, 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a famous American preacher, philosopher, and poet of the 19th century who served as the center of the Transcendental movement.

Nikki Giovanni is one of the best-known African-American poets who reached prominence during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Sandra Cisneros, born in Chicago, Illinois on December 21, 1954, is a United States author and poet best known for her novel The House on Mango Street. She is also the author of Caramelo, published by Knopf in 2002. Much of her writing is influenced by her Mexican-American heritage. She the only daughter in a Mexican-American family of seven children.

John Donne (1572 – March 31, 1631) was a Jacobean poet, satirist, lawyer and preacher/cleric in the Church of England. He is considered the founding figure of the so-called metaphysical poetry movement.

John Keats was an English poet who is now regarded as being one of the greatest lyric poets of his time and one of the principal poets of the English Romantic movement. He was born in London on October 31, 1795 and in his short lifetime had 54 poems published in various magazines and in three volumes of poetry. Recognition of his achievements as one of the leading poets of his time only came after his death in Rome on February 23, 1821.

Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr. was an American short story writer and poet. Carver was a major writer of the late 20th century and a major force in the revitalization of the American short story in literature in the 1980s.

Percy Bysshe Shelley was a prominent English Romantic poet known for his lyrical and radical writings. Born on August 4, 1792, in Horsham, England, Shelley was the heir to a wealthy aristocratic family. He attended Eton College and then University College, Oxford, but was expelled for his controversial writings. Shelley's poetry often explored themes of political and social change, nature, and the power of the imagination. Some of his most famous works include "Ode to the West Wind," "Ozymandias," and "Prometheus Unbound." Shelley's life was cut short when he died in a boating accident at the age of 29, but his influence on the Romantic movement and his enduring poetry continue to be celebrated to this day.

Kalakkathu Kunchan Nambiar (Malayalam : , kuñcan Nampyar ) was an early Malayalam language poet, performer, satirist and the inventor of local art form Ottamtullal. He is often considered as the master of Malayalam satirist poetry.

Mark Twain is the famous pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, who was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. He is one of the most beloved figures in the history of American literature, and was a journalist, novelist, humorist, literary critic, essayist, short story writer, and poet. He wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), the latter often called "the Great American Novel ."

Carol Ann Duffy is a British poet and playwright born in Glasgow, Scotland. Duffy is the first female and first Scottish Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom.

Lewis Carroll was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman, and photographer. His fame rests on his books for children of which Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and its sequel, Through the Looking-glass, are the best.

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was a Russian author of the Romantic era who is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. Pushkin pioneered the use of vernacular speech in his poems and plays, creating a style of storytelling—mixing drama, romance, and satire—associated with Russian literature ever since and greatly influencing later Russian writers. He also wrote historical fiction. His The Captain's Daughter provides insight into Russia during the reign of Catherine the Great. A Russian Romantic author who is considered to be the greatest Russian poet.

An American novelist, essayist, poet, professor, cultural critic and farmer.. American man of letters academic cultural and economic critic and farmer

Roger McGough is an English poet, comedian, performance poet, broadcaster, children's author and playwright. He was Born on November 9, 1937 in Litherland, United Kingdom and educated at St Mary's College, Crosby, and University of Hull.

A poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, visual artist, statesman and human rights campaigner.. French poet novelist and dramatist

Thomas Hardy was a British novelist, short story writer, and poet of the Naturalist movement. Hardy was born in Dorsetshire, with whose scenery he has made his readers familiar; bred an architect; first earned popularity in 1874 by his "Far from the Madding Crowd," which was followed by, among others, "The Return of the Native," "The Woodlanders," and "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," the last in 1892, books which require to be read in order to appreciate the genius of the author; b. 1840.

Rainer Maria Rilke was a Bohemian–Austrian poet and art critic. He is considered one of the most significant poets in the German language.

An American author, development critic, transcendentalist, pacifist, and philosopher.. American author poet philosopher abolitionist naturalist tax resister development critic surveyor historian and leading transcendentalist

An American poet, historian, novelist, balladeer and folklorist.. American poet writer and editor; three Pulitzer Prizes

Sara Teasdale was an American lyrical poet. She is the total embodiment of a tortured soul who had a gift for artistic expression. She was born on August 8, 1884 in St. Louis, Missouri. She died at the age of 48 on January 29, 1933 in New York City.

A celebrated Romantic English poet of the Victorian era, Elizabeth Barrett Browning is still one of the most influential figures within English poetry.

Anne Gray Harvey Sexton, American poet and playwright, was born in Newton, Massachusetts, the daughter of Ralph Harvey, a successful woolen manufacturer, and Mary Gray Staples. Sexton is known for her highly personal, confessional verse. She won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1967 for her book Live or Die.

Leonard Norman Cohen is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist.

George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was an English poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement. Among Byron's best-known works are the lengthy narrative poems Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and the short lyric " She Walks in Beauty ." He is regarded as one of the greatest British poets and remains widely read and influential.

A Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a representative of Neo-romanticism in England.. Scottish novelist poet essayist and travel writer

Robert Burns was a poet and songwriter widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland. This celebrated Scottish poet and lyricist was born at Alloway, near Ayr, in 1759. Burns' poem "A Red, Red Rose" is considered one of the greatest poems of all-time.

Margaret Eleanor Atwood, CC, O.Ont, FRSC is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. While she is best known for her work as a novelist, she is also a poet, having published 15 books of poetry to date. Many of her poems have been inspired by myths and fairy tales, which have been interests of hers from an early age. Atwood has published short stories in Tamarack Review, Alphabet, Harper's, CBC Anthology, Ms., Saturday Night, and many other magazines. She has also published four collections of stories and three collections of unclassifiable short prose works.. poet novelist essayist

“If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of "The Elements of Style." The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.”---Dorothy Parker Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles.

Suleiman I (Ottoman Turkish: Suleyman, Modern Turkish: Süleyman, Turkish pronunciation), almost always Kanuni Sultan Süleyman; was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as the Lawgiver (Turkish: Kanuni; Arabic:, al-Qanuni), for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system. Ruler of the Ottoman Empire and Islamic poet.

an Irish author and scholar of mixed Irish, English, and Welsh ancestry.. novelist poet academic medievalist literary critic essayist lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast

Pulitzer Prize-winning African-American woman poet.. African-American poet; 30th US Poet Laureate

Gopabandhu Dash, known as Utkalamani (Gem of Odisha ), was a social worker, reformer, political activist, journalist, poet and essayist. Gopabandhu Das is one of the founders of the modern Orissa state, is also remembered for his patriotic lyrical poems and lucid, thought provoking prose writings.

Jane Austen, a gifted English novelist, daughter of a clergyman in N. Hampshire; member of a quiet family circle, occupied herself in writing without eye to publication, and only in mature womanhood thought of writing for the press. Her first novel, "Sense and Sensibility," was published in 1811, and was followed by "Pride and Prejudice," her masterpiece, "Persuasion," and others, her interest being throughout in ordinary quiet cultured life, and the delineation of it, which she achieved in an inimitably charming manner. She is the mother of the English 19th-century novel, as Scott is the father of it" (1775-1816).

Robert William Service was a British-Canadian poet and writer who has often been called "the Bard of the Yukon". He is best known for his poems "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee", from his first book, Songs of a Sourdough (1907; also published as The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses).

Changampuzha Krishna Pillai was a celebrated Malayalam poet from Kerala, India, known almost exclusively for his romantic elegy Ramanan (Malayalam ) which was written in 1936 and sold over 100,000 copies. It is a play written in the form of verse. It is a long pastoral elegy allegedly based on the life of Changampuzha's friend Edappally Raghavan Pillai. This has also been converted into a movie in 1967. He is credited with bringing poetry to the masses with his simple romantic style. He died of Tuberculosis at a young age of 36. His style influenced the next few generations of Malayalam poetry.

Khalil Gibran (Gibran Khalil Gibran, Kahlil Gibran, Jubran Khalil Jubran or Jibran Khalil Jibran) was a Lebanese artist, poet, philosopher, and writer.

Matsuo Basho (1644–1694), renku and haiku poet

Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer was a renowned poet of Malayalam literature. Born in 1877 in Kerala, India, he made significant contributions to the field of literature through his writing. His works reflected a strong sense of nationalism and explored themes of social reform, love, and spirituality. He is best known for his long narrative poem, "Bhagavad Gita," which earned him critical acclaim. Parameswara Iyer's literary works continue to inspire and resonate with readers, making him a celebrated figure in the world of poetry.

Charles Pierre Baudelaire is one of the most influential French poets of the nineteenth century. French poet essayist art critic and translator, b. Paris, 9 April 1821, the son of a distinguished friend of Cabanis and Condorcet. He first became famous by the publication of Fleurs du Mal, 1857, in which appeared Les Litanies de Satan. The work was prosecuted and suppressed. Baudelaire translated some of the writings of E. A. Poe, a poet whom he resembled much in life and character. The divine beauty of his face has been celebrated by the French poet, Théodore de Banville, and his genius in some magnificent stanzas by the English poet, Algernon Swinburne. Died Paris 31 Aug. 1867.

An American Beat poet born in Newark, New Jersey.. American poet; one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation

Jack Prelutsky is an American creator of inventive poems for children and adults alike. He served as the Poetry Foundation’s Children’s Poet Laureate from 2006 to 2008.

Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., is an American former boxer and three-time World Heavyweight Champion, who is widely considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. As an amateur, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. After turning professional, he went on to become the first boxer to win the lineal heavyweight championship three times.

Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon was a renowned Indian poet of Kerala. He was born on 11 May 1911 in Kaloor in the Ernakulam district. After taking his bachelor's degree in science he took B.T. and joined as teacher in government service in 1931.

George Herbert was a Welsh poet, orator and Anglican priest. Being born into an artistic and wealthy family, he received a good education which led to his holding prominent positions at Cambridge University and Parliament. As a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, England, George Herbert excelled in languages and music. He went to college with the intention of becoming a priest, but his scholarship attracted the attention of King James I/VI. Herbert served in parliament for two years. public orator and poet

A German polymath: he was a poet, novelist, dramatist, humanist, scientist, theorist and painter.. German writer artist and politician

Ben (Benjamin) Jonson was a noted English poet, literary critic, and playwright during the late 16th and early 17th Centuries.

Gary Soto was born April 12, 1952 in Fresno, California. He is known as a poet, novelist, and Children's Literature author whose notable works include: “Petty Crimes”, “New and Selected Poems”, and “Living Up the Street”. Soto has won numerous awards including the Academy of American Poets Prize, American Book Award, NEA Fellowship and the Guggenheim Fellowship.

Adrienne Cecile Rich was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century", and was credited with bringing "the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse."

John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. He is known for the works: Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Lycidas, L'Allegro, and Il Penseroso.

Mzwakhe Mbuli, known as "The People's Poet," is a renowned South African poet, musician, and activist. Born in 1959 in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, Mbuli emerged on the music scene in the 1980s during the anti-apartheid struggles. His powerful poetry and lyrics focused on social justice, freedom, and equality, resonating with many South Africans. Mbuli's unique style fused spoken word, traditional African music, and contemporary rhythms, establishing him as a prominent cultural figure in the fight against segregation and oppression. Despite facing imprisonment and censorship, he remained steadfast in his commitment to art as a form of resistance and continued to inspire generations of artists and activists.

Tupac Shakur, born in New York City, New York on June 16, 1971, was an American rapper. Shakur sold over 75 million albums worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. Rolling Stone Magazine named him the 86th Greatest Artist of All Time.

Charles Causley was a Cornish poet and writer. His work is noted for its simplicity and directness and for its associations with folklore, especially when linked to his native Cornwall.

Wole Soyinka was born on 13 July 1934 at Abeokuta, near Ibadan in western Nigeria. After preparatory university studies in 1954 at Government College in Ibadan, he continued at the University of Leeds, where, later, in 1973, he took his doctorate. During the six years spent in England, he was a dramaturgist at the Royal Court Theatre in London 1958-1959. In 1960, he was awarded a Rockefeller bursary and returned to Nigeria to study African drama. At the same time, he taught drama and literature at various universities in Ibadan, Lagos, and Ife, where, since 1975, he has been professor of comparative literature. In 1960, he founded the theatre group, "The 1960 Masks" and in 1964, the "Orisun Theatre Company", in which he has produced his own plays and taken part as actor.

Thomas Stearns Eliot was an essayist, publisher, playwright, literary and social critic and "one of the twentieth century's major poets." Born in St. Louis, Missouri in the United States, he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 at age 25 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39. He attended prominent academies through his youth, eventually getting accepted into Harvard. His drive for education led him to the Sorbonne in Paris, France for a time as well, on his way to a Ph.D.

A major American Modernist poet.. American Modernist poet

An English poet, writer and broadcaster.. English poet writer and broadcaster

Author unknown. Anonymous: poet. Anonymous. poems, poetry, biography, quotes, poems, Anonymous. biography.

Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death.. Irish poet singer songwriter and entertainer

Matthew Arnold (Matthew) was an English Victorian Era poet and critic. He was educated at Winchester, Rugby, and Oxford, where he won the Newdigate prize. In 1857 he was elected Professor of Poetry at Oxford. Mr. Arnold has a lucid style and is abreast of the thought of his age. He may be said in his own words to wander "between two worlds, one dead, the other powerless to be born."

An English poet, short story writer, and novelist.. English poet short story writer and novelist

An Irish poet.

Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.. German playwright poet lyricist notable work: the Three-penny Opera

Derek Alton Walcott is a Saint Lucian poet and playwright. He received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is currently Professor of Poetry at the University of Essex. His works include the Homeric epic poem Omeros (1990), which many critics view "as Walcott's major achievement."

A Mexican writer, poet, and diplomat, and the winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize in Literature.. Mexican writer poet and diplomat

Edward Lear was an English artist, illustrator, author, and poet, renowned today primarily for his literary nonsense, in poetry and prose, and especially his limericks, a form that he popularized.

Adikavi Pampa was a renowned poet in the Kannada language, considered one of the greatest poets in early 10th-century South India. He is credited with introducing the champu style of writing, which combines prose and verse, and is known for his epic poem "Vikramarjuna Vijaya" (also known as "Pampa Bharata"). Pampa's work played a significant role in shaping the language and literature of the Kannada-speaking region, making him an influential figure in the history of Kannada literature.

An Argentine writer who is considered one of the foremost literary figures of the 20th century.. Argentine short-story writer essayist poet and translator

Sharon Olds is an American poet. Olds has been the recipient of many awards including the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. She earned a BA at Stanford University and a PhD at Columbia University.

Sir Walter Raleigh is a famed English writer, poet, courtier, aristocrat, and explorer. His most influential work of poetry was entitled "The Lie." He was born in Devon, England and died in London.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE (/ ' t l k i n / ; [ a ] 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion .

Spike Milligan is an Irish comedian writer musician poet playwright soldier and actor. He was born an 'Army Brat', the son of an Irish Captain in the British Raj in India. He lived most of his life in England and served in the British Army, in the Royal Artillery during World War II.

Vallathol Narayana Menon, popularly known as Mahakavi, was a poet in the Malayalam language, which is spoken in the south Indian state of Kerala. K. M. George has noted that, together with Kumaran Asan, Menon was "responsible for bringing about a revolutionary change in Malayalam poetry in the [nineteen]-twenties. Asan concentrated on social themes and Vallathol championed the national movement; yet both made very significant contributions to the khandkavya, ie: the short poem of the lyrical type."