John Drinkwater

John Drinkwater (1882-1937) was an English poet and dramatist. He was born in Leytonstone, London, and worked as an insurance clerk. In the period immediately before the First World War, he was one of the group of poets associated with the Gloucestershire village of Dymock, along with Rupert Brooke and others. In 1918, he scored his first major success with his play, Abraham Lincoln. He followed it up with other plays in a similar vein, including Mary Stuart and Oliver Cromwell. Although he had been active with the Dymock poets, it was not until 1923 that he published his first collection of poetry. He progressed into literary criticism, and later became manager of Birmingham Repertory Theatre.