Henley, William Ernest

Henley, William Ernest, 1849–1903, English poet, critic, and editor. Although crippled by tuberculosis of the bone, he led an active, vigorous life. As editor of several reviews successively, he introduced to the public a galaxy of young writers, including Kipling, Wells, and Yeats. Although his verse is noted for its bravado and spirit of defiance, his poetry could be equally delicate and lyrical. His best-known poems include "England, My England," and "Invictus," which concludes with the famous lines "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Henley's volumes of verse include A Book of Verses (1888), The Song of the Sword (1892), and For England's Sake (1900). He collaborated on four plays with Robert Louis Stevenson, with whom he enjoyed a long friendship.

Bibliography

See biography by J. Connell (1949, repr. 1971); study by J. H. Buckley (1945, repr. 1971).

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Henley, William Ernest

(born Aug. 23, 1849, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, Eng.—died July 11, 1903, Woking, near London) British poet, critic, and editor. After a tubercular disease forced the amputation of one foot and radical surgery on the other leg, Henley began writing free-verse impressionistic poems about hospital life that established his poetic reputation. They appeared in A Book of Verses (1888). His most popular poem, “Invictus” (1875), dates from the same period. He later edited several journals, the most brilliant of which, the Scots Observer (later the National Observer), published the early work of Thomas Hardy, George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, James M. Barrie, and Rudyard Kipling.