Poet and critic. Born near Goole, Yorkshire. Considered a great English critic, his best-known work is his first publication "Seven Types of Ambiguity" 1930. Married Hetta in 1941 and had two sons, but was probably bisexual and an alcoholic. Spent a lot of his married life away from the London home, in Sheffield where he was chair of English literature at the university. Died at home, Studio House, 1 Hampstead Hill Gardens. (Did you notice how we managed not to mention the beard?)
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Sir William Empson
Commemorated ati
Sir William Empson
Unveiled by Sir Williams’ son, Jake Empson. At no 71 Empson lived in the the...
Other Subjects
Oscar Wilde
Born in Dublin as Oscar Fingal O'Flaherty Wills Wilde. 'Importance of Being Earnest', 'Picture of Dorian Gray', etc. A flamboyant aesthete, he may have been Grossmith's model for the character Bunt...
Person, Gender Issues, Literature, Poetry, Seriously Famous, Theatre, France, Ireland
Tiruvalluvar
Author of the Tirukkural, the classic text of Tamil philosophy and ethics. The Tamil poet is commonly believed to have been born in the First Century BC in Madras (now called Chennai) in south ea...
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Poet. Born at Field Place, near Horsham in Sussex. Had a habit of eloping with and then marrying 16 or 17 year olds: first Harriet Westbrook. When she, pregnant, drowned herself in the Serpentine P...
Hilaire Belloc
Poet, essayist and historian. Born France. Catholic. His works include 'Cautionary Tales for Children', in which Matilda told lies and was burnt to death. Died Guildford.