Wilfred Owen

Born in 1893 in Oswestry, England, Wilfred Owen is remembered as one of the great poets of the First World War. Before the war he worked as a teacher and spent time in France, where he developed his love of poetry and language.

His experience as an officer on the Western Front shaped the poems for which he is famous, including work that shows the pity, fear, and physical reality of war rather than heroic glory. During the war he was treated for shell shock and met the poet Siegfried Sassoon, who encouraged and influenced his writing.

Owen was killed in action in 1918, just days before the Armistice that ended the war. Much of his reputation was built after his death, and his poetry remains widely read for its honesty, compassion, and unforgettable images.