Encyclopaedia of World Great Poets (Volume I to X)

It appears, that the literature of all cultures began with poetry, whose rhythmic and sensuous qualities satisfy a fundamental human need for expression of emotions. Derived from the Greek world Poitein, ‘to make up’, poetry insinuates invention of things. For the ancient Greeks this word signified any artist–writer, painter or musician–who made forms that did not previously exist in nature; only in later ages did the world assume its present, narrower meaning. Probably originating as a mode of formal storytelling and teaching in preliterate societies, the power of poetic imagination, derided as it is by skeptics and philistines, cannot be dined. Sir Philip Sidney, in his Apology for Poetry (1595), saw the poetic imagination as an afflatus that agave access to truth beyond the scope of reason, and for Wordsworth, one of the most enigmatic and acclaimed poets to have ever lived the importance of poetry was captured in this one sentence: "Poetry is passion; it is the history or science of feelings". Today, appreciation for meaningful poetry may have diminished in a world where the pursuit of money holds far greater value than literary taste; nonetheless, poets are far from extinct, and poetry carries just as much significance for giving impetus to imagination and humanity as it did before.This encyclopaedia hence reserves its pages to biographies of some of the world’s greatest poets throughout the ages. Transcending nations races, languages and sex, the book is a testimony to the power of poets in capturing the fancy and curiosity of fellow human beings through their works, even after their mortal deaths. Whether as preservers of cultural tradition, or as rebels ushering in the winds of radical change, poets continue to hold sway in a world which hardly finds time to peruse their literary gems, and so such, are to be landed for their creations. It is hoped that the encyclopedia’s effort to emphasise upon the need for poetry in the modern world is appreciated by readers.