Siegfried Sassoon
1886 - 1967
Siegfried Sassoon was an English war poet and soldier. Born in Kent, England, Sassoon joined the British army at the outbreak of World War I and served as an officer on the Western Front. He quickly became disillusioned with the war and became a leading voice in the anti-war movement, using his poetry to express his anger and frustration at the conflict and its devastating effects on soldiers and civilians alike. Sassoon's most famous works, including "The Hero," "The General," and "Base Details," are powerful and often searing indictments of the war and its impact on those who fought it. Despite their unpopularity at the time, Sassoon's poems are now regarded as some of the most powerful anti-war works of the 20th century and have earned him a place as one of the greatest war poets in English literature. After the war, Sassoon continued to write and publish poetry, as well as memoirs and novels, and was awarded the CBE in 1951 for his literary and public service. He remains an important and influential figure in English literature, celebrated for his unflinching commitment to truth and his powerful voice in the fight against war and violence.