William Ernest Henley

Born in Gloucester in 1849, William Ernest Henley became an English poet, critic, and editor whose work often carried a bold, energetic voice. He is most widely remembered for "Invictus," a poem shaped in part by long periods of illness and treatment that tested his endurance from an early age.

Henley wrote poetry, essays, and criticism, and he played an important part in the literary world of late Victorian Britain through his editorial work. His forceful personality and wide circle of friends and fellow writers made him an influential figure beyond his own books.

He died in 1903, but his writing has endured, especially the compact intensity of his verse and the spirit of determination readers continue to find in it.