Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Stephen Spender

Role / Field:

English poet renowned for his passionate focus on social injustice and class struggle.

Born:

1909-02-28

Died:

1995-07-16

Century / Era:

1909s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Sir Stephen Harold Spender (28 February 1909 – 16 July 1995) was an English poet, novelist and essayist whose work concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle. He was appointed U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1965. Spender was born in Kensington, London, to journalist Harold Spender and Violet Hilda Schuster, a painter and poet, of German Jewish heritage.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He went first to Hall School in Hampstead and then at 13 to Gresham's School, Holt, and later Charlecote School in Worthing, but he was unhappy there. On the death of his mother, he was transferred to University College School (Hampstead), which he later described as "that gentlest of schools". Spender left for Nantes and Lausanne and then went up to University College, Oxford (much later, in 1973, he was made an honorary fellow). Spender said at various times throughout his life that he never passed any exam. Perhaps his closest friend and the man who had the biggest influence on him was W.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

H. Auden, who introduced him to Christopher Isherwood. Spender handprinted the earliest version of Auden's Poems. He left Oxford without taking a degree and in 1929 moved...

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• 1909 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1909
• February 28 (02-28) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on February 28
• 1995 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1995
• July 16 (07-16) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on July 16

Frequently Asked Questions about Stephen Spender