The poetry of Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) remains memorable for its
charming lyrical quality and the way in which his sonnets perfectly
recapture the mood of England at the start of World War I. This volume
reprints his complete oeuvre, from the early lyric poems to those
written shortly before his premature death: "The Old Vicarage,
Grantchester," "Tiare Tahiti," "The Great Lover," "The Dead," "The
Soldier," and many others.
Brooke enlisted in the Royal Navy at the outbreak of the war in 1914 and
entered the literary scene early the following year, when two of his
sonnets ("The Dead" and "The Soldier") appeared in London's *Times
Literary Supplement.*The 27-year-old poet died shortly afterward aboard
a ship bound for Gallipoli. His 1914 and Other Poems was published
immediately afterward to wide acclaim. Brooke remains among Britain's
best-loved cultural figures, and his works evoke the tranquility of
prewar life and the ideals of heroic self-sacrifice.