Siegfried Sassoon Biography

Siegfried Sassoon, Poet
Born asSiegfried Loraine Sassoon
Occup.Poet
FromUnited Kingdom
BornSeptember 8, 1886
Matfield, Kent, England
DiedSeptember 1, 1967
Heytesbury, Wiltshire
CauseNatural Causes
Aged80 years
Early Life and Education And Learning
Siegfried Sassoon, full name Siegfried Loraine Sassoon, was born on September 8, 1886, in Matfield, Kent, England, into a well-off Jewish household. His papa, Alfred Sassoon, was a member of the flourishing Sassoon family, while his mommy, Theresa Thorneycroft Sassoon, was a part of a family members known for their sculpture and creative talent. Siegfried was the senior of 2 brothers and also had three more youthful siblings.

Sassoon attended the New Beacon School in Kent and afterwards Marlborough College. Later, he briefly researched at Clare College, Cambridge, however left without obtaining a level. A skilled as well as passionate sporting activities gamer, Sassoon mastered cricket as well as also appreciated playing football as well as golf.

Introduction as a Poet
Siegfried started writing poetry at an early age, influenced by the job of poets such as Percy Bysshe Shelley and also John Keats. Prior To World War I, he published a couple of little collections of verse, consisting of 'The Daffodil Murderer' (1913), an apology of John Masefield's work. Although these collections obtained little interest, they note the beginning of his literary journey.

World War I and also War Poems
When World War I burst out in 1914, Sassoon enlisted as a cavalry cannon fodder in the Sussex Yeomanry, and also by May 1915, he had actually joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers as a 2nd lieutenant. Sassoon quickly gained a track record for valiancy in fight, earning the label "Mad Jack" and also the Military Cross for his valor on the Western Front. His more youthful sibling was killed at work at Gallipoli in 1915.

Sassoon's experiences throughout the war greatly affected his poetry, and he turned into one of the leading battle poets of his time. His poetic voice was noted by his direct as well as vivid descriptions of the brutalities and scaries of the battle. Several of his most well-known war rhymes, such as "Suicide in the Trenches", "The Rear-Guard", and "The General", showed the grim truths of battle while slamming its useless nature and also the uncaring leaders.

The "Soldier's Declaration" and also Anti-war Stance
As the war proceeded, Sassoon expanded disappointed with the conflict, concerning it as unneeded as well as an outcome of political inexperience. His stress culminated in the publication of his "Soldier's Declaration" in July 1917, in which he openly rejected to participate better in a "battle of aggressiveness and also occupation". Sassoon was stated to be suffering from shell shock and also was sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital, staying clear of court-martial.

At Craiglockhart, Sassoon fulfilled fellow poet Wilfred Owen, who was substantially affected by Sassoon's work and technique to battle poetry. Both ended up being friends, and their relationship profoundly impacted Owen's verse. Sassoon eventually returned to active duty in 1918 however was soon wounded by pleasant fire and returned to England.

Post-war Life as well as Writing
After the battle, Sassoon's literary profession continued, and he published a collection of battle poetry called "Counter-Attack and Other Poems" (1918). His experiences throughout the battle and also his connection with his fellow soldiers also sustained a semi-autobiographical trilogy of books, labelled "Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man" (1928), "Memoirs of an Infantry Officer" (1930), and also "Sherston's Progress" (1936), which were later on combined and also released as "The Complete Memoirs of George Sherston" (1937).

Sassoon's post-war verse moved away from its previous anti-war stance, focusing on social and political themes of the time, such as the increase of Fascism as well as the Spanish Civil War. He settled at Heytesbury House in Wiltshire as well as remained to write poetry and prose, consisting of 'Sequences' (1957) and his three-part autobiography, 'The Old Century' (1938), 'The Weald of Youth' (1942), and 'Siegfried's Journey' (1945).

He married Hester Gatty in 1933, and they had a son together, George Sassoon, prior to divorcing in 1945.

Fatality and also Legacy
Siegfried Sassoon died on September 1, 1967, matured 80, in Heytesbury, Wiltshire, England. His poetry, especially his battle poems, left a long lasting influence on the literary globe, as well as the insights he supplied into the stressful experiences of soldiers throughout World War I continue to be admired for their value to both historical as well as literary researches. Sassoon remains one of the most popular poets of his time and also is born in mind as an enthusiastic anti-war voice who captured the hearts and also minds of individuals throughout generations.

Our collection contains 9 quotes who is written / told by Siegfried.

Related authors: John Masefield (Poet), Wilfred Owen (Soldier), John Keats (Poet), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete), Percy Bysshe Shelley (Poet)

Siegfried Sassoon Famous Works:
Source / external links:

9 Famous quotes by Siegfried Sassoon

Small: In me the tiger sniffs the rose
"In me the tiger sniffs the rose"
Small: Soldiers are citizens of deaths grey land, drawing no dividend from times tomorrows
"Soldiers are citizens of death's grey land, drawing no dividend from time's tomorrows"
Small: I am not protesting against the conduct of the war, but against the political errors and insincerities
"I am not protesting against the conduct of the war, but against the political errors and insincerities for which the fighting men are being sacrificed"
Small: Man, it seemed, had been created to jab the life out of Germans
"Man, it seemed, had been created to jab the life out of Germans"
Small: I have seen and endured the sufferings of the troops, and I can no longer be a party to prolong these s
"I have seen and endured the sufferings of the troops, and I can no longer be a party to prolong these sufferings for ends which I believe to be evil and unjust"
Small: I am making this statement as an act of wilful defiance of military authority, because I believe that t
"I am making this statement as an act of wilful defiance of military authority, because I believe that the War is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it"
Small: I believe that the purpose for which I and my fellow soldiers entered upon this war should have been so
"I believe that the purpose for which I and my fellow soldiers entered upon this war should have been so clearly stated as to have made it impossible to change them, and that, had this been done, the objects which actuated us would now be attainable by negotiation"
Small: I am a soldier, convinced that I am acting on behalf of soldiers
"I am a soldier, convinced that I am acting on behalf of soldiers"
Small: Soldiers are dreamers when the guns begin they think of firelit homes, clean beds, and wives
"Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin they think of firelit homes, clean beds, and wives"