Siegfried
Sassoon (1886-1967) might have become “THE” war poet of the group of war poets
associated with World War I. He was a published poet before the war story and
was well known in poetry circles. He was an officer decorated with the Military
Cross for bravery and heroism during the war. The men who served under him
loved him for his leadership style (he cared about them). And he survived the
war.
The
only problem was that he made himself distinctly unpopular by publishing a
declaration against the war, while the war was still in progress. A letter sent
to a commanding officer was forwarded to the press and read aloud in
Parliament. His words were considered treasonous; he could have been court-martialed.
Instead, he was sent to a military hospital in Scotland where he was officially
treated for “shell shock.”
Sassoon
wrote poems throughout the war. Most were published in poetry collections; some
were published in newspapers and journals. All of them have been collected and
published over the years in various editions as The War Poems; the original was published in
1919.
To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.
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