The Genius Of T.S. Eliot

T.S. Eliot’s impact on poetry is unrivaled in the 20th century. Although his work was criticized because it was unlike the others of his time, his differences are seen as the beginning of what is called “modern poetry.” His distinct style was influenced from his American heritage, mental breakdown, and his readings of the Italian Renaissance, and French Symbolists. His unique views of society and literature gave him a fresh perspective, causing him to become a very influential poet and critic as he pioneered the modern poetry movement.
Thomas Stearns Eliot was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to an old New England family. Eliot attended Harvard as an undergraduate in the year 1906 and soon after completed his graduate work in philosophy. He then after settled in England, where he was, for a period of time, a schoolmaster, bank clerk, and then eventually a literary editor for the publishing house Faber & Faber -- which he later became a director. He founded and edited the exclusive and influential literary journal Criterion during the seventeen years of its publication (1922-1939). In 1927, Eliot became a British citizen and consequently entered the Anglican Church (Frenz, 1969).
Eliot considers his transition from America to England as having great influence upon himself and making him unique in situation compared to other poets. He says of his poetry “it wouldn't be what it is if I'd been born in England, and it wouldn't be what it is if I'd stayed in America” (Hall, 1959). Another one of Eliot’s influences was his relationship with Ezra Pound, the man who “discovered” Eliot and brought him into fame. Eliot grew not only from their shared ideologies, but also from Pound’s demands that he stay in England. So adamant, Pound was, that ...

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...rieved from http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/4738/the-art-of-poetry-no-1-t-s-eliot

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