10 of the Most Romantic Poets

William_Wordsworth photo by William Shuter-Wikimedia

10 of the Most Romantic Poets

Have you heard of these poets that brought the flame to romantic poetry? Here are the 10 of the Most Romantic Poets.

1. William Wordsworth

He was born on 7 April 1770 in Cockermouth, England. Together with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, they are considered the founders who instigated the amazing Romanticism movement in English literature in the first half of the 19th century.

He held the title Poet Laureate for 7 years until his death despite not continuing with his writing. He grew up in the Lake District of England, a place fondly remembered after him. He married his childhood friend Mary Hutchinson and they were blessed with 5 children.

He found peace in poetry as it helped him deal with the loss of his parents at an early age and his two children. William is popular for his poem “The Prelude”. His life came to an end on 23 April 1850 at his home at Rydal Mount after battling pleurisy.

2. William Blake

William was a painter, poet, and engraver who was considered an influential figure of the Romantic age during the early 19th century. He was born on 28 November 1757 in Soho, London.

His most influential publication in 1789 is named Songs of Innocence and Experience. At a young age, he is reported to have seen angels and ghosts.

His desire for painting was so strong that his parents enrolled him at the age of 10 in a painting school and the age of 12, he embarked on his poetry journey.

He was married to Catherine Boucher, a woman he had the chance to teach reading and writing though they never had children. He is best remembered for his famous poem “The Tyger”. He died at the age of 69 from an unknown cause.

3. Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar_Allan_Poe,_circa photo by Unknown author-Wikimedia

He was an American poet and short story writer who was born in Boston Massachusetts on January 19, 1809. He studied Languages at the University of Virginia at the age of 17.

Unfortunately, he did not complete his studies due to his gambling problem as he squandered his school fees. He was the son of David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold Poe, both of whom were stage actors.

 Sadly, the father abandoned the family at an early age leaving the mother to fend for him and his 2 siblings.

When the mother later passed on he was taken in by John Allan and his wife who at that time had not conceived. Inspired by his life experiences, he was known for his unique gothic style of writing.

Some of his famous works include the poem “The Raven” published in 1845 and the horror story “The Fall of the House of Usher” published in 1839. Unfortunately, his death remains mysterious though there is speculation that this was either foul play or an alcohol overdose. He was laid to rest in Westminster Hall and Burying Ground Lincoln in 1875.

4. John Keats

He was a fascinating romantic poet greatly admired during the Victorian age, but unfortunately, succumbed to Tuberculosis at the age of 25.

His mother, Frances Keats died of tuberculosis when he was 14 years of age. John was born in Moorgate London on 31 October 1795 and brought up by his grandmother. Contrary to beliefs John had no formal literature education however, he had studied Medicine and trained as a surgeon at Guy’s Hospital Medical School.

Though he got harsh criticism from his fellow poets for his style of writing during his time, he quickly rose to fame after his death and is now known as one of the great romantic poets with his imaginary personification and metaphors style.

Some of his poems include To Autumn and Ode to a Nightingale. He died February 23rd, 1821, and is buried at the Cemetery Acattolico in Rome.

5. Victor Hugo

Victor_Hugo_by_Étienne –Wikimedia

Victor received acclaim for being one of the greatest poets and writers of his time. He was born in Besancon, France in 1802. He trained as a lawyer but was overpowered by his love for literature.

With support from his mother, he found a review, the Conservateur Littéraire where he published his poems and that of his friends.

In 1822, at the age of 20, he published his first poetry collection “Odes et poésies diverses” and in 1823 he published his first novel, Han d’Islande.

He suffered great tragedy within the same period with the death of his daughter, sons, wife, and mistress. Two years after the death of his mistress he succumbed to pneumonia on 22 May 1885, at the age of 83. He is famous for his novel Les Miserables.

6. Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin

He is a Romantic poet, playwright, and novelist born in Moscow, Russia on 10 February 1837.

He is appraised as the architect of modern Russian literature. He studied at Imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoye, a town later renamed after him. In 1820, he published his first poem at the age of 15 known as Ruslan and Ludmila.

He is believed to be of African descent. His maternal great-grandfather, Abram Petrovich was believed to be adopted and raised by the Russian Emperor. Later in 1827, he honored his grandfather by writing “The Negro of Peter the Great“.

He is famous for his poem “The Bronze Horseman“. In 1831 Pushkin married Natalia Goncharova, a woman who was known for her incredible beauty. Rumors had it that she was having an affair with the French military official, Georges d’ Anthes.

The two agreed to a duel in which Pushkin was severely wounded. He died on 18 February 1837 at the age of 37. Pushkin is buried next to his mother at Svyatogorsky Monastery.

7. Robert Burns

Robert Burns art by Alexander Nasmyth-Wikimedia

He was also known as Rabbie Burns, the Bard of Ayrshire, and the Ploughman Poet. A great national poet born on 25 January 1759 in Alloway, Scotland. He grew up on a farm with his family hence the name the Ploughman. Besides being a poet, he was a lyricist and wrote the patriotic Scotland song “Scots Wha Hae” which served as the unofficial national anthem for a while. Some of his famous poems include “A Red, Red Rose” and “Halloween”. He died on July 21, 1796, from rheumatic fever at the age of 37. Robert was buried in the churchyard of St. Michael’s in Dumfries.

8. George Gordon Byron

The 6th Baron Byron, simply known as Lord Byron, was a British poet born on 22 January 1788 in London, United Kingdom. He rose to fame after his first publication of the poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage in 1812.

He was well known for his notorious love affairs which were mostly scandalous. Rumor has it that he was bisexual and in fact, had an affair with his half-sister. He became more famous after the publication of “Oriental Tales”.

Byron died on 19 April 1824 during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire, in Messolonghi at 36 years.

His body was brought back home but unfortunately, there was a lot of opposition preventing him from being buried at Westminster Abbey due to his questionable morality. He was finally laid to rest in his home town Newstead Abbey, in Nottinghamshire.

9. Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy_Bysshe_Shelley photo by By Alfred Clint-Wikimedia

He was a British poet born on 4 August 1792 in Warnham, United Kingdom. His Social, Political, and poetic views were considered radical. His works have influenced great writers such as Karl Max and Mahatma Gandhi.

Percy was expelled from Oxford University for writing about Atheism. He had a dramatic love life. Shelley was officially married to Harriet Westbrook but eloped with a 16-year-old Mary while Harriet was pregnant.

Harriet is believed to have committed suicide after Percy left her and committed to Mary. Unfortunately, he only rose to fame after his death and his work was not published while he was alive as publishers feared being arrested as he wrote a lot of radical topics. His colorful and free life came to an end when he drowned on 8 July 1822.

10.Samuel Taylor Coleridge

He was an English poet, philosopher, and theologian who together with William Wordsworth, are considered the founder who instigated the amazing Romanticism movement in English literature in the first half of the 19th century.

The collaboration of the two fostered years of success after the first publication of their poetry collection “Lyrical Ballads“. Some of his other renowned works are “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner“, as well as “Kubla Khan’ and ‘Christabel”. Rumor has it he struggled with bipolar disorder as well as other ailments like Gout and Rheumatism which led him to the use of opium. His life came to an end on 25 July 1834 as a result of heart failure.