Guy Wetmore Carryl

Born in New York City in 1873, Guy Wetmore Carryl was the son of writer Charles Edward Carryl. He published in The New York Times while still young and graduated from Columbia University in 1895, where he had already been writing plays for amateur performances.

Carryl became known for comic verse and literary parody. He is especially remembered for reworking familiar material—Aesop, Grimm, and Mother Goose—into clever, funny poems that gently twist the morals and expectations of the originals.

His career was brief, but his writing left a lasting impression on readers who enjoy light verse with real craft behind it. He died in 1904 at just 31, and his reputation has endured through collections of humorous poetry that are still read today.