John Keats

Born in London in 1795, John Keats trained in medicine before turning fully to poetry. In a remarkably short life, he became one of the central poets of the Romantic movement, admired for the intensity of his imagination and the musical grace of his language.

His greatest poems were written in the last few years of his life, including "Ode to a Nightingale," "Ode on a Grecian Urn," and "To Autumn." Though he faced harsh reviews and financial strain, his writing kept reaching for beauty, mortality, love, and the power of the imagination.

Keats died in Rome in 1821, probably of tuberculosis, believing he had not achieved lasting fame. He was wrong: his poems went on to become some of the most cherished in English literature, and his influence has only grown with time.