Aries Poets

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 1 
Maya Angelou
(American Poet and Civil Rights Activist Known for Her Autobiography ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’)
Maya Angelou
46
Birthdate: April 4, 1928
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Died: May 28, 2014
Poet, author, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou was a champion for black feminism and is best remembered for her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing. The recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and over 50 honorary degrees was also a child sex abuse survivor.
 2 
Robert Frost
(American Poet Who was Known for His Realistic Depictions of Rural Life)
Robert Frost
29
Birthdate: March 26, 1874
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States
Died: January 29, 1963

Robert Frost was an American poet. An influential poet, Frost was honored with four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry, the only poet to receive four such awards. One of America's public literary figures, Robert Frost received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960. His works influenced other poets like Robert Francis, James Wright, Edward Thomas, Richard Wilbur, and Seamus Heaney.

William Wordsworth
28
Birthdate: April 7, 1770
Birthplace: Kingdom of Great Britain
Died: April 23, 1850

English poet William Wordsworth, along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, released Lyrical Ballads in 1798, which set the tone for the Romantic Age of English Literature. Wordsworth was known for his poems I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, The Prelude, and The Solitary Reaper. He also served as the Poet Laureate.

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 4 
Charles Baudelaire
(French Poet Known for His Handling of Rhyme & Rhythm and His Book 'Les Fleurs du mal')
Charles Baudelaire
9
Birthdate: April 9, 1821
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: August 31, 1867
French prose poet, essayist, and critic Charles Baudelaire was one of the first translators of the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Best known for his book of poems Les Fleurs du mal, he is believed to have coined the word modernity and was associated with the symbolist and decadent movements.
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 5 
William Morris
(Textile Designer, Poet)
William Morris
7
Birthdate: March 24, 1834
Birthplace: Walthamstow, England
Died: October 3, 1896

William Morris was a British poet, novelist, textile designer, translator, and socialist activist. He played a major role in reviving the traditional British textile arts and the various methods of production. As a novelist and poet, Morris helped establish the fantasy genre, which is prevalent today. He is counted among the most important cultural figures of the Victorian era.

 6 
A. E. Housman
4
Birthdate: March 26, 1859
Birthplace: Fockbury, England
Died: April 30, 1936
 7 
Andrew Marvell
5
Birthdate: March 31, 1621
Birthplace: Winestead, England
Died: August 16, 1678
 8 
Gil Scott-Heron
(Poet and Singer-songwriter)
Gil Scott-Heron
4
Birthdate: April 1, 1949
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: May 27, 2011
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 9 
Seamus Heaney
(Poet, Playwright & Translator Who Received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature)
Seamus Heaney
11
Birthdate: April 13, 1939
Birthplace: Castledawson, Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Died: August 30, 2013

Seamus Heaney was an Irish poet, translator, and playwright. One of the most respected poets of his generation, Heaney was honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995. He also won other prestigious awards, such as the Eric Gregory Award. Several years after his death, Seamus Heaney is still considered one of the main contributors to poetry in Ireland.

 10 
Max Ernst
(Primary Pioneer of the 'Dada Movement' and 'Surrealism' Known for His Work 'A Week of Kindness')
Max Ernst
5
Birthdate: April 2, 1891
Birthplace: Brühl, Germany
Died: April 1, 1976

Max Ernst was a German painter, graphic artist, sculptor, and poet. A pioneer of the Dada movement, Ernst played an important role in popularizing surrealism during the early-20th century. He is also credited with inventing a couple of techniques, namely frottage and grattage. In 2005, the Max Ernst Museum was opened in his honor in Brühl, Germany.

 11 
Joan Sebastian
(Singer-songwriter, Actor, Poet, Record producer)
Joan Sebastian
6
Birthdate: April 8, 1951
Birthplace: Guerrero
Died: July 13, 2015

Known as the king of Mexican rodeo, for performing in concerts on horseback, Mexican singer Joan Sebastian won the highest number of Grammy awards from his country. Over 20 of his songs made it to the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. An actor, too, he was seen in the telenovela Tú y yo.

 12 
Win Butler
(Songwriter, Singer, Composer, Poet, Guitarist)
Win Butler
9
Birthdate: April 14, 1980
Birthplace: Truckee, California, United States

Win Butler is an American-Canadian multi-instrumentalist, musician, singer, and songwriter. He is credited with co-founding the popular Canadian indie rock band, Arcade Fire. Also a humanitarian, Butler contributed to a charity record named Do They Know It's Hallowe'en as part of a UNICEF benefit project. A multi-talented personality, Win Butler often participates in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

 13 
Benjamin Zephaniah
(Actor, Poet, Writer, Singer)
Benjamin Zephaniah
7
Birthdate: April 15, 1958
Birthplace: Birmingham
 14 
Paul Verlaine
(One of the Greatest French Poets of the 19th Century)
Paul Verlaine
5
Birthdate: March 30, 1844
Birthplace: Metz, France
Died: January 8, 1896

Paul Verlaine was a French poet best remembered for his association with the Decadent movement and the Symbolist movement. He is regarded as one of the most important representatives of the fin de siècle in French and international poetry. His poetry served as an inspiration for composers like Gabriel Fauré, who composed several mélodies based on Verlaine's poems.

 15 
Fanny Crosby
(Poet)
Fanny Crosby
4
Birthdate: March 24, 1820
Birthplace: Brewster, New York, United States
Died: February 12, 1915
 16 
Kingsley Amis
(Novelist)
Kingsley Amis
6
Birthdate: April 16, 1922
Birthplace: Clapham, London, England
Died: October 22, 1995
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 17 
Octavio Paz
(Writer, Poet, Diplomat and Noble Prize Laureate)
Octavio Paz
4
Birthdate: March 31, 1914
Birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico
Died: April 19, 1998
Born into a family of intellectuals, Nobel Prize-winning Mexican poet Octavio Paz had been introduced to literature through his grandfather’s library. Apart from poetry, he had also written essays on art, politics, and culture. As a Mexican diplomat, he had been to countries such as India and France.
 18 
George Herbert
(Poet recognized as one of the foremost British devotional lyricists)
George Herbert
4
Birthdate: April 3, 1593
Birthplace: Montgomery, Wales
Died: March 1, 1633

George Herbert was an orator, poet, and priest of the Church of England. Although he is regarded as one of the most important British devotional lyricists, Herbert's poetry is often associated with the works of popular metaphysical poets. He was also a collector of proverbs and his collection was published in 1640.

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 19 
Gabriela Mistral
(Chilean poet)
Gabriela Mistral
5
Birthdate: April 7, 1889
Birthplace: Vicuña, Chile
Died: January 10, 1957

Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet and educator Lucila Godoy Alcayaga was better known by her pseudonym, Gabriela Mistral. The suicide of her first love inspired her poem Dolor. Her diplomatic assignments later took her to places such as Madrid and Lisbon. She is remembered for her emotional verses and her feminism.

 20 
Anatole France
(One of the Best-Selling French Poet and Novelist)
Anatole France
5
Birthdate: April 16, 1844
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: October 12, 1924

Anatole France was a French poet, novelist, and journalist. Renowned for writing many best-sellers, Anatole France was one of the most respected French writers of his generation. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1921 for his brilliant literary achievements.

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 21 
Frieda Hughes
(Painter, Poet)
Frieda Hughes
12
Birthdate: April 1, 1960
Birthplace: London, England
 22 
Barbara Kingsolver
(Novelist, Poet, Essayist)
Barbara Kingsolver
7
Birthdate: April 8, 1955
Birthplace: Annapolis, Maryland, United States
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 23 
Nizar Qabbani
(Diplomat)
Nizar Qabbani
5
Birthdate: March 21, 1923
Birthplace: Damascus
Died: April 30, 1998

Nizar Qabbani was a Syrian writer, diplomat, publisher, and poet. Renowned for incorporating themes like eroticism, religion, love, feminism, and Arab nationalism into his poetry, Qabbani's poems have achieved worldwide acclaim; they have been translated into many languages, including English and Russian. Regarded as Syria's National Poet, Qabbani is also one of the most respected poets in the Arab world.

 24 
Veronica Franco
(16th Century Italian Poet and Courtesan)
Veronica Franco
4
Birthdate: March 25, 1546
Birthplace: Venice, Italy
Died: July 22, 1591

A significant Venetian figure, Veronica Franco wasn’t an ordinary courtesan but was educated and a talented poet, too. She defended herself successfully against charges of witchcraft. Born to a courtesan, she was married to a doctor briefly and later became a sex worker to sustain herself and her children.

 25 
Nizam al-Mulk
(scientist, writer)
Nizam al-Mulk
3
Birthdate: April 10, 1018
Died: October 14, 1092

Nizam al-Mulk was a Persian political philosopher, scholar, and vizier of the Great Seljuk Empire. Nizam rose to the position of the de facto ruler from humble beginnings. He is perhaps best remembered for founding several important institutions known as madrasa in cities across the Seljuk Empire. Nizam al-Mulk is also credited with writing an important political treatise called Siyasatnama.

 26 
John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
(Poet, Writer, Playwright)
John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
4
Birthdate: April 1, 1647
Birthplace: Ditchley
Died: July 26, 1680
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 27 
John Millington Synge
(Irish Playwright, Poet and a Key Figure in the Irish Literary Revival)
John Millington Synge
3
Birthdate: April 16, 1871
Birthplace: Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland
Died: March 24, 1909

A major figure of the Irish Literary Revival, John Millington Synge is best remembered for his play The Playboy of the Western World, which caused riots in Dublin due to its satiric depiction of the Irish nature of boasting. His life ended abruptly at 37, due to blood cancer.

 28 
Frank O'Hara
(Poet)
Frank O'Hara
4
Birthdate: March 27, 1926
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore, Maryland
Died: July 25, 1966
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 29 
Erica Jong
(Novelist)
Erica Jong
5
Birthdate: March 26, 1942
Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.
 30 
Billy Collins
(American poet, appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003)
Billy Collins
4
Birthdate: March 22, 1941
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States
 31 
Algernon Charles Swinburne
(Poet, Writer)
Algernon Charles Swinburne
4
Birthdate: April 5, 1837
Birthplace: London
Died: April 10, 1909
 32 
Andrew Lang
(Poet, Novelist, Literary Critic)
Andrew Lang
3
Birthdate: March 31, 1844
Birthplace: Selkirk
Died: July 20, 1912

Best known for his collections of folklore, fairy tales, and legends, Scottish author and Merton College fellow Andrew Lang was also an avid historian and anthropologist who coined the term psychical research. His The World of Homer and his translations of Homer’s works remain invaluable to Homerian students.

 33 
Gaius Maecenas
(Political Advisor to Octavian, the First Roman Emperor)
Gaius Maecenas
3
Birthdate: April 15, 0068
Birthplace: Arezzo, Italy
Died: 0008 AD
Gaius Maecenas was a political advisor to Octavian, the first Roman emperor. A patron for several important Augustan poets, including Virgil and Horace, Gaius Maecenas also served as a quasi-culture minister during the reign of his friend Octavian, who came to be known as Augustus after becoming the Roman emperor.
 34 
Cecil Percival Taylor
(American Pianist and Poet)
Cecil Percival Taylor
3
Birthdate: March 25, 1929
Birthplace: Long Island, New York, United States
Died: April 5, 2018
 35 
Vivian Stanshall
(Musician)
Vivian Stanshall
6
Birthdate: March 21, 1943
Birthplace: Oxford, England
Died: March 5, 1995
 36 
Ernest Cline
(Novelist)
Ernest Cline
9
Birthdate: March 29, 1972
Birthplace: Ashland, Ohio, United States
 37 
Julia Alvarez
(American-Dominican poet)
Julia Alvarez
3
Birthdate: March 27, 1950
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
 38 
Gregory Corso
(American Poet and Novelist)
Gregory Corso
3
Birthdate: March 26, 1930
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: January 17, 2001
 39 
Kamala Suraiyya
(Indian Poet Who Wrote Openly About Female Sexual Desire and the Experience of Being an Indian Woman)
Kamala Suraiyya
4
Birthdate: March 31, 1934
Birthplace: Punnayurkulam, Thrissur district, Kerala, India
Died: May 31, 2009

Kamala Suraiyya, also known by her pen-name Madhavikutty and by her married name Kamala Das, was a Malayali poet who is remembered for her liberal treatment of female sexuality in her works. Her writings, such as Summer in Calcutta, form an integral part of Indian literature written in English.

 40 
Whittaker Chambers
(Journalist)
Whittaker Chambers
4
Birthdate: April 1, 1901
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died: July 9, 1961
 41 
Caroline Norton
3
Birthdate: March 22, 1808
Birthplace: London
Died: June 15, 1877

Being the granddaughter of playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan, author Caroline Norton had her first experience at writing in her teens. Her beauty and charm, however, made her failed barrister husband jealous. The rift in their marriage caused her to successfully campaign for married women’s right to property and their children’s custody.

 42 
Dietrich Eckart
(Poet)
Dietrich Eckart
5
Birthdate: March 23, 1868
Birthplace: Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Germany
Died: December 26, 1923

German anti-Semitic völkisch poet, playwright, journalist, publicist, and political activist Dietrich Eckart, one of Adolf Hitler's earliest mentors who Hitler acknowledged as the spiritual co-founder of Nazism, founded German Workers' Party, the precursor of Nazi Party. Eckart was the original publisher of the Nazi Party newspaper Völkischer Beobachter, and lyricist of Sturmlied, the de facto anthem of the Sturmabteilung.

 43 
Comte de Lautréamont
(Poet)
Comte de Lautréamont
3
Birthdate: April 4, 1846
Birthplace: Montevideo, Uruguay
Died: November 24, 1870
 44 
Ama Ata Aidoo
(Author)
Ama Ata Aidoo
3
Birthdate: March 23, 1942
Birthplace: Saltpond, Ghana
 45 
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
(Officer, Poet, Writer, Publisher, Painter, Journalist)
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
9
Birthdate: March 24, 1919
Birthplace: Yonkers
 46 
Tracy K. Smith
(Poet)
Tracy K. Smith
3
Birthdate: April 16, 1972
Birthplace: Falmouth, Massachusetts, United States
 47 
Thomas Middleton
(English Jacobean Playwright and Poet)
Thomas Middleton
3
Birthdate: April 18, 1580
Birthplace: London, England
Died: June 30, 1627
 48 
Russell Banks
(Writer)
Russell Banks
3
Birthdate: March 28, 1940
Birthplace: Newton, Massachusetts, United States
 49 
Edmond Rostand
(Former poet and dramatist associated with neo-romanticism, became best-known for his 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac)
Edmond Rostand
3
Birthdate: April 1, 1868
Birthplace: Marseille, France
Died: December 2, 1918
 50 
R. S. Thomas
(Welsh Poet and Anglican Priest)
R. S. Thomas
3
Birthdate: March 29, 1913
Birthplace: Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales
Died: September 25, 2000

One of the most prominent modern Welsh poets, R. S. Thomas is remembered for his cold style of depicting the reality of his country. Born to a sailor, he grew up in port towns and grew up to become an Anglican priest. Many of his poems contain the character Iago Prytherch.