author
Ruth Pitter
A quiet but highly respected English poet, she wrote with clarity, music, and close attention to the natural world. Her steady, traditional style earned major honors, including becoming the first woman to receive the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.
1 Audiobook
First poems
by Ruth Pitter
About the author
Born in Ilford, Essex, in 1897, Ruth Pitter became one of the notable English poets of the 20th century. She published across a long career and was admired for verse that stayed committed to rhyme, meter, and careful observation even as many modern poets moved in other directions.
Her work is often praised for its lucidity, craft, and strong sense of delight in everyday life and the natural world. She was highly regarded in her lifetime, and in 1955 she became the first woman to receive the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.
Pitter was later named a Companion of Literature by the Royal Society of Literature and appointed CBE. She died in 1992, but her poetry still appeals to readers who enjoy formal verse that feels thoughtful, precise, and warmly human.