Thom Gunn

Thom Gunn, born Thomson William Gunn (29 August 1929 – 25 April 2004), was an Anglo-American poet who was praised both for his early verses in England, where he was associated with The Movement and his later poetry in America, even after moving toward a looser, free-verse style. After relocating from England to San Francisco, Gunn, who became openly gay, wrote about gay-related topics — particularly in his most famous work, The Man With Night Swe... more

Thom Gunn, born Thomson William Gunn (29 August 1929 – 25 April 2004), was an Anglo-American poet who was praised both for his early verses in England, where he was associated with The Movement and his later poetry in America, even after moving toward a looser, free-verse style. After relocating from England to San Francisco, Gunn, who became openly gay, wrote about gay-related topics — particularly in his most famous work, The Man With Night Sweats in 1992 — as well as drug use, sex and topics related to his bohemian lifestyle. He won numerous major literary awards. Gunn was born in Gravesend, Kent, the son of Bert Gunn. Both of his parents were journalists, and they divorced when he was 10 years old. When he was a teenager, his mother committed suicide, but by then she had sparked in him a love of reading, including an interest in the work of Christopher Marlowe, John Keats, John Milton, and Alfred Tennyson, along with several prose writers. In his youth, he attended University... less