Sidney Keyes

Sidney Keyes
Born 27 May 1922(1922-05-27)
Died 29 April 1943(1943-04-29) (aged 20)
Tunisia
Occupation War poet
Alma mater University of Oxford
Notable award(s) Hawthornden Prize

Sidney Arthur Kilworth Keyes (27 May 1922 – 29 April 1943, Tunisia) was an English poet of World War II.

Contents

Life

Early years

Keyes was born on 27 May 1922.[1] He attended Tonbridge School for his secondary education and later, for his tertiary, the University of Oxford.[2] While at college, Keyes wrote the only two books of his lifetime, The Cruel Solstice and The Iron Laurel.[3]

Military service

Keyes left Oxford and joined the army in April 1942,[4] entering active service that same year.[5] He was sent with his regiment to fight in the Tunisia Campaign of World War II.[6] Hitherto his service, Keyes had already written more than half of the 110 poems that would later be gathered in The Collected Poems of Sidney Keyes.[4] During combat, he was reported to have continued writing poetry. However, these works have not survived.[7]

Death

Keyes fought and died in action on 29 April 1943, shortly before his 21st birthday.[6]

Recognition

In 1943, Keyes was awarded the Hawthornden Prize for The Cruel Solstice and The Iron Laurel.[8]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Kendall 2009, p. 398
  2. ^ Berryman 1947, p. 510
  3. ^ Dickey 2004, p. 256
  4. ^ a b Hynes 1990, p. 298
  5. ^ Dickey 2004, p. 259
  6. ^ a b Kendall 2006, p. 185
  7. ^ Kendall 2009, p. 401
  8. ^ Moseley, Merritt. "The Hawthornden Prize". University of North Carolina. http://facstaff.unca.edu/moseley/hawthorn.html. Retrieved 16 May 2010. 

Bibliography