Thomas Gray

About

English poet and scholar who is best known for Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, a poetic work published in 1751. He was also the writer of several Pindaric odes, including The Bard and The Progress of Poesy.

Before Fame

He studied at Eton College and Pembroke College, Cambridge.

Trivia

His self-doubt led him to decline the offer of the Poet Laureate post in 1757.

Family Life

He was the only surviving child of Philip and Dorothy Gray.

Associated With

He and author Christopher Smart can both be classified as pre-Romantic "Graveyard Poets," as both men frequently wrote about mortality.