Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Poetry Season

Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772-1834

Biography

Remembered now mostly for his opium intake and friendship with William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge is responsible for some of the best-known poems in the English language. The intense, fevered imagery of his epic works The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan live on in popular consciousness, while his confessional poems such as Frost at Midnight mark him as the frontrunner to the tide of soul-bearing, introspective artists, poets and songwriters that followed in his wake.

Born in Ottery St Mary, Devon in 1772, Coleridge was schooled in London and Cambridge University, and found fame as a public lecturer and philosopher after graduation. Together with Wordsworth, Coleridge produced Lyrical Ballads, from which The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is by far the most enduringly popular. Coleridge frequently visited Wordsworth at Dove Cottage but his time in the Lake District was blighted by opium addiction and an unhappy marriage, and the pair fell out in 1810. The two poets were later reconciled, but their fruitful friendship was effectively over. Coleridge died in London in July 1834 and is buried in Highgate Cemetery.

While living in Nether Stowey, Coleridge was famously disturbed and distracted by the 'person from Porlock', an incident much referenced in literature by writers as varied as Arthur Conan Doyle, Stevie Smith and Douglas Adams. A 7ft bronze statue of Coleridge stands in the harbour town of Watchet, where the poet was first inspired to write The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Is Coleridge
the Nation's
Favourite Poet?

FIND OUT HERE

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Kubla Khan

VOTE RESULTS >

The Nation's Favourite Poet

Friendly Fires reading The Lady of Shalott

Radio 1 Animations

Friendly Fires perform Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott

Ian McMillan

Discover

Watch Ian McMillan's tips on writing poems for special occasions

Related Links

The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iD

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ navigation

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Β© 2014 The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.