An Epitaph
Light of step and heart was she;
I think…
Walter de la Mare (April 25, 1873 – June 22, 1956) was an eminent English poet, short story writer, and novelist best known for his works of fantasy and supernatural fiction. Born in Charlton, Kent, de la Mare spent his early years in a modest household. He attended St. Paul's Cathedral School and later worked as a bookkeeper for Standard Oil, allowing him to focus on his writing in his spare time.
De la Mare's first book, a collection of poems titled "Songs of Childhood" (1902), published under the pseudonym Walter Ramal, established him as a distinctive, yet enigmatic voice in literature. He achieved greater acclaim with the 1912 publication of "The Listeners," a hauntingly atmospheric poem that remains a staple in anthologies.
His prose works are equally celebrated, particularly "Memoirs of a Midget" (1921), which won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and "The Turnip Field" (1935), both richly layered narratives exploring human consciousness and the spectral fringes of reality. De la Mare also edited anthologies and wrote for children, with "Peacock Pie" (1913) standing out as a beloved collection of children's poetry.
Walter de la Mare’s evocative language and ability to meld the whimsical with the eerie have immortalized him as one of the timeless figures in British literature, making significant contributions to early 20th-century poetry and supernatural fiction.