author
Alan L. Strang
1908–1919
A child poet whose brief life left behind verses full of patriotism, wonder, and feeling, he wrote with a seriousness and warmth that still surprises modern readers. His poems capture both the imagination of youth and the mood of America during the First World War.
1 Audiobook
Our Boys, and Other Poems
by Alan L. Strang
About the author
Born in Spokane, Washington, on August 18, 1908, he moved with his family to Redwood City, California, in 1913. The introduction to Our Boys, and Other Poems describes him as physically frail but unusually advanced for his age, with a gentle and affectionate nature.
He wrote poetry as a boy, and his collected work was published in 1919 as Our Boys, and Other Poems. The poems reflect a young writer deeply engaged with the world around him, especially themes of patriotism, childhood ideals, nature, and everyday feeling.
He died on January 29, 1919, at just eleven years old. Because his life was so short, the surviving poems carry a special poignancy: they read not only as early literary promise, but as a moving record of a gifted child remembered by his family and readers.