Thomas Stearns Eliot was born in St. Louis, MO on September 26th, 1888. He spent the first 18 years of his life there before attending Harvard University. In 1910, he left the United States for the Sorbonne in France after having earned both an undergraduate and masters degree. He spent a year in France, then returned to Harvard to persue a doctorate in philosophy. However those plans were changed, and in 1914 he left the United States to settle in England. In 1915 he married Vivienne Haigh - Wood. He found work first, as a teacher, then for Lloyd's Bank. He was profoundly infuenced by his contemporary Ezra Pound, who recognized Eliot's talents for literature. In the following years, Pound helped Eliot to become published, with such works as "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," Prufrock and Other Observations, and his most profound piece of literature The Waste Land. He also wrote many plays and pieces of non - fiction. In 1927 Eliot became an English citizen. In 1933 he separated from his first wife, and married Valerie Fletcher in 1956. Eliot was recognized for his contribution to world literature in 1948 when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. In 1956, T.S. Eliot died in London. Information for this bio was taken from www.poets.org |
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