Home Poets Guest, Edgar A. Edgar A. Guest Better known as "The Poet of the People."
Born in England, his family moved to the U.S. in 1891. In 1902, he became a naturalized citizen. Beginning at the Detroit Free Press as a reporter, he later began writing daily poems which were syndicated to newspapers throughout the U.S. For forty years, his poems were generally simple and positive and written about everyday life. They are often described by critics as dull, pretentious, pointless child-like paragraphs ... simply nothing. Nevertheless, they were very popular at the time and Guest was made Poet Laureate of Michigan, the only poet to have been awarded the title. Called "The People’s Poet"—and known as Eddie—Edgar Albert Guest was a British-born American writer whose sentimental and optimistic verses were widely read throughout North America. From his first published verse in the Detroit Free Press on December 11, 1898 until his death in 1959, he penned some 15,000 poems which were syndicated in over 200 newspapers and reprinted in several books such as A Heap o' Livin' (1916) and Just Folks (1917). His popularity led to a weekly Detroit radio show which he hosted from 1931 until 1942 and, in 1951, a network (NBC) television show. Selected Works ~ Volume I and Volume II Item Title Hits A Friend's Greeting A Real Man As Fall The Leaves At Breakfast Time ... How Do You Tackle Your Work? | |
|
