John Heath-Stubbs is a poet whose accomplishment spans four decades and has been marked by a steady dedication to the art of poetry. His work ranges from brief lyrics, such as make up Birds Reconvened (1980), to one of the few impressive poems in the heroic manner by a modern poet, his epic Artorius (1973). He has translated poetry from classical and modern languages and has written learnedly of Greek and Latin poetry as well as of major English poets. In the 1940s and 1950s, he did a great deal to reestablish the reputations of lesser romantic writers such as John Clare, Thomas Lovell Beddoes, George Darley, and James Thomson (1834-1882).

Born in London to Francis and Edith Marr Heath-Stubbs, John Francis Alexander Heath-Stubbs grew up near Bournemouth, on the south coast of England, and was educated first at local schools. Later, because of poor eyesight, he was sent to...