Edward Thomas

Edward Thomas 1878-1917, English poet. He began his literary career writing essays, travel books, and critical studies. His friendship with Robert Frost, which began in 1912, turned him to writing poetry, primarily on nature themes. His first volume of verse, Six Poems (1916), mostly pastoral verse, was published shortly before he was killed in World War I.

Bibliography: See his collected poems (1920, rev. ed. 1936); biography by R. P. Eckert (1937); studies by W. Cooke (1970) and H. Coombes (1956, repr. 1973).

Thomas, (Philip) Edward (1878–1917), poet, and writer of many volumes of prose, much of it topographical and biographical, including a biography of R. Jefferies (1909). With the encouragement of Frost he turned to poetry. In 1915 Thomas enlisted in the army and was killed at Arras. Most of his poetry was published posthumously, though a few pieces appeared under the pseudonym ‘Edward Eastaway’ between 1915 and 1917. His Collected Poems (1978) was edited by R. George Thomas. His work shows a loving and accurate observation of the English pastoral scene, combined with a bleak and scrupulous honesty and clarity. Both he and Frost advocated the use of natural diction and of colloquial speech rhythms in metrical verse, and his work is now highly regarded.