1917. English poet, dramatist and novelist who was Poet Laureate of England from 1930 until his death. The publication of The Everlasting Mercy made Masefield famous. The poem shocked many with its frankness of language and subject, with its use of the vernacular and a depiction of English country life that sometimes strayed far from the bucolic. The poem begins with a grueling boxing bout, a grudge match that fits its rural background and setting quite realistically. In The Everlasting Mercy, the main character Saul Kane begins as a liar, cheat, and drunken carouser, albeit not without saving grace. He goes through a series of encounters that bring that grace to the fore and lead him to a path of redemption. Another of his long narrative poems, The Widow in the Bye Street is also contained in this volume. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.