Georgian Poetry is a collection of books that display the work of a group of English poets who became popular during the early years of King George V's rule in the United Kingdom.

By a strict definition, the Georgian poets are those whose poems were included in five books called Georgian Poetry. These books were published by Harold Monro's Poetry Bookshop in London and edited by Edward Marsh. The first book included poems written in 1911 and 1912. The group included poets such as Edmund Blunden, Rupert Brooke, Robert Graves, D. H. Lawrence, Walter de la Mare, Siegfried Sassoon, Ralph Hodgson, and John Drinkwater. Female poets were not included in the first three books, but they were added in the final two volumes.

History

The time when these poems were published came after the Victorian era, known for its strict classical style, and before Modernism, which strongly rejected pure artistic beauty. The poems in these publications shared common themes of romanticism, emotional expression, and a focus on enjoying life's pleasures. Later critics tried to change how the term is used to describe poetic style, adding some names or removing others. W. H. Davies, a contemporary poet, is sometimes included in this group, though his simple style is very different from others.

In the 1930s, Henry Newbolt said there were still at least 1,000 active poets in England, and most of them would clearly be described as "Georgian."

Edward Marsh was the general editor of the series and the leader of the group of Georgian poets, which included Rupert Brooke. Some people believe Brooke helped choose some poems for publication.

The idea for an anthology began as a joke when Marsh, Duncan Grant, and George Mallory decided, one evening in 1912, to publish a parody of the many small poetry books that were popular at the time. After discussing it further, they decided to take the idea seriously. Marsh and Brooke approached poet and bookseller Harold Monro, who had recently opened The Poetry Bookshop at 35 Devonshire Street in Bloomsbury, London. Monro agreed to publish the book in exchange for half the profits.

After the third volume, Marsh decided it was time to include a female poet. He chose Fredegond Shove, though others suggested Edith Sitwell, Charlotte Mew, or Rose Macaulay. He included four poems from Shove's first collection, Dreams and Journeys (1918), including "The New Soul," a somewhat mystical poem about religion that caught the attention of critics. The final volume included seven poems from Vita Sackville-West's fifth collection, Orchard and Vineyard (1921).

After the fifth anthology, more collections were published by J. C. Squire, likely to continue the tradition. The later fate of the Georgian poets, later called the "Squirearchy," became a topic in debates about modernist poetry, especially after T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land was published around that time. The Georgian poets were later seen as traditional, but when the early anthologies were created, they saw themselves as modern (though not fully modernist) and forward-thinking. The most important figures from this time, in terms of literature, would now be considered D. H. Lawrence and Robert Graves, neither of whom were typical examples of the group.

Georgian Poetry 1911–12(1912)

Lascelles Abercrombie – Gordon Bottomley – Rupert Brooke – G. K. Chesterton – W. H. Davies – Walter de la Mare – John Drinkwater – James Elroy Flecker – W. W. Gibson – D. H. Lawrence – John Masefield – Harold Monro – T. Sturge Moore – Ronald Ross – Edmund Beale Sargant – James Stephens – R. C. Trevelyan

Georgian Poetry 1913–15(1915)

The following is a list of notable authors and poets:
Lascelles Abercrombie, Gordon Bottomley, Rupert Brooke, W. H. Davies, Walter de la Mare, John Drinkwater, J. E. Flecker, W. W. Gibson, Ralph Hodgson, D. H. Lawrence, F. Ledwidge, John Masefield, Harold Monro, James Stephens.

Georgian Poetry 1916–17(1917)

List of Authors: Herbert Asquith, Maurice Baring, Gordon Bottomley, W. H. Davies, Walter de la Mare, John Drinkwater, John Freeman, W. W. Gibson, Robert Graves, Ralph Hodgson, John Masefield, Harold Monro, Robert Nichols, Isaac Rosenberg, Siegfried Sassoon, J. C. Squire, James Stephens, W. J. Turner.

Georgian Poetry 1918–19(1919)

Lascelles Abercrombie, Gordon Bottomley, Francis Brett Young, W. H. Davies, Walter de la Mare, John Drinkwater, John Freeman, W. W. Gibson, Robert Graves, D. H. Lawrence, Harold Monro, Thomas Moult, Robert Nichols, J. D. C. Pellow, Siegfried Sassoon, Edward Shanks, Fredegond Shove, J. C. Squire, W. J. Turner

Georgian Poetry 1920–22(1922)

Lascelles Abercrombie – Martin Armstrong – Edmund Blunden – Francis Brett Young – W. H. Davies – Walter de la Mare – John Drinkwater – John Freeman – W. W. Gibson – Robert Graves – Richard Hughes – William Kerr – D. H. Lawrence – Harold Monro – Robert Nichols – J. D. C. Pellow – Frank Prewett – Peter Quennell – Vita Sackville-West – Edward Shanks – J. C. Squire