Basil Bunting

Date of Birth: March 1, 1900

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Date of Death: April 17, 1985

Biography

Basil Cheesman Bunting was an influential British modernist poet, born on March 1, 1900, in Scotswood-on-Tyne, England. He is best known for his epic poem “Briggflatts,” which is often considered his masterpiece. Bunting’s work was heavily influenced by his experiences, including his time as a conscientious objector during World War I, his travels, and his involvement with the Imagist movement. He studied at the London School of Economics and later worked as a journalist, translator, and intelligence officer. Despite facing periods of obscurity, Bunting’s work found renewed acclaim later in his life, especially with the republication of “Briggflatts” in 1966.

5 Interesting Facts about Basil Bunting

1. Bunting was imprisoned as a conscientious objector during World War I.

2. He worked as an intelligence officer for British Military Intelligence in Persia during World War II.

3. “Briggflatts,” his most famous work, is considered one of the greatest long poems in 20th-century English literature.

4. Bunting was a close friend of fellow poets Ezra Pound and Louis Zukofsky.

5. He spent significant periods of his life abroad, including in Italy, the United States, and Iran.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Basil Bunting

1. “Always carry a notebook. And I mean always. The short-term memory only retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper you can lose an idea for ever.”

2. “What the poet must convey is not experience, but the quality of experience.”

3. “Briggflatts is not to be understood, you have to let it flow over you.”

4. “Poetry is no use to a man who wants to get on.”

5. “I strive to leave things out, to strip them down to the essentials.”