author
Isaac Rosenberg
1890–1918
Best known for the fierce, vivid poems he wrote from the trenches, this First World War poet also trained seriously as an artist. His work is remembered for its raw honesty, sharp imagery, and unusual independence of voice.
1 Audiobook
Poems by Isaac Rosenberg
by Isaac Rosenberg
About the author
Born in Bristol on November 25, 1890, and raised in London’s East End, Isaac Rosenberg grew up in a poor Jewish immigrant family and first pursued art as passionately as poetry. He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, where his talent as a painter and draughtsman was widely noticed, even though money troubles made his path difficult.
Rosenberg is now celebrated as one of the most distinctive poets of the First World War. Unlike some better-known officer-poets, he served as a private soldier, and the poems he wrote during wartime stand out for their stark imagery, physical detail, and refusal to romanticize battle. His collection Poems from the Trenches helped secure his reputation after his death.
He was killed in France on April 1, 1918, at the age of 27. Though his life was brief, his poetry and artwork left a lasting mark, and he is still read as a powerful, singular voice of war literature.