Brooke, Rupert

1887–1915, English poet. At the outbreak of World War I he joined the Royal Naval Division, served at Antwerp, and was in the Dardanelles expedition when he died of blood poisoning at the island of Skíros. Handsome and athletic, Brooke was also charming, intellectual, and witty, and was universally sought in society. His early fame and tragic death have made him an almost legendary figure. He wrote two small volumes of poetry, Poems (1911) and 1914 and Other Poems (1915). His verse is exuberant and charming, the romantic patriotism of his war sonnets contrasting sharply with the bitter, disillusioned poetry of Owen and Sassoon.

See his letters, ed. by G. Keynes (1968); biographies by A. Stringer (1948, repr. 1972) and C. Hassall (1964, repr. 1972); studies by J. Lehmann (1981) and P. Delany (1987); bibliography by G. Keynes (1954).