How Well Do You Know These Famous Poets?

The 18th-century poet Gottlob Burmann is arguably more famous for his eccentricity than for the quality of his poetry. He's known for hating the letter "r," which he tried to avoid using in any of his work. It’s estimated that of the 20,000 words of poetry he wrote in his lifetime, Burmann did not use the letter once.

In addition to his literary acclaim, Lord Byron was known for his scandalous personal life. Among other things, he had serious debts, carried weapons, and drank far too much. His lover, Lady Caroline Lamb, famously called Byron "mad, bad, and dangerous to know." In fact, his daughter, Ada Lovelace, was encouraged to study math — not poetry — by her mother, for fear she might turn out like her father. She went on to become the world’s first computer programmer.

Chilean poet Pablo Neruda preferred to hand-write his poetry with a fountain pen filled with green ink, which he felt was a hopeful color. While Neruda is often most acknowledged for his love poems, his writing also details the politics and culture of Latin America, and often pays homage to nature and his love of the sea.

Milton is best known for his epic poem "Paradise Lost" (1667), but he also wrote "Areopagitica," in which he argued for the importance of freedom of the press more than 100 years before the Bill of Rights was drafted. Legal scholars believe the British poet's pamphlet inspired the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Shel Silverstein is best known for his beloved children's books, such as 1964’s "The Giving Tree." But he also wrote Johnny Cash's country hit "A Boy Named Sue," and won a Grammy for it in 1969. Silverstein followed that success with another Grammy win in 1984 for the recording of his poetry collection “Where the Sidewalk Ends.”

In 1850, Alfred Tennyson published "In Memoriam," the volume that would cement his reputation as Britain’s premier poet. This epic poem was written piecemeal over 10 years following the death of Tennyson’s dear friend. In coming to terms with his grief, the poet also reflected on the major issues of Victorian England during the Industrial Revolution. The poem drew the attention of the crown, and when British poet laureate William Wordsworth died in 1850, Tennyson was the natural successor.

François-Marie d'Arouet, better known by his pen name, Voltaire, was a leading force in Europe’s Enlightenment period. The legend of Isaac Newton getting hit on the head by an apple was actually popularized by Voltaire’s poetry. The French writer admired the scientist and wrote about him often, but the two men never actually met in real life.

Emily Dickinson lived a solitary, quiet life, outside the limelight. In her lifetime, only 10 of her poems saw publication, all anonymously. It wasn’t until after her death in 1886 that an extraordinary cache of 1,800 poems was uncovered. By the early 20th century, critics had come to appreciate Dickinson's distinctive and nontraditional voice. Today, she is considered one of America's greatest poets.

Poet and memoirist Maya Angelou is one of America’s most celebrated writers; her many accolades include being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010, the highest civilian honor in the U.S. She was also given honorary degrees from more than 50 educational institutions, including Smith College, Boston College, Howard University, Tufts University, University of Southern California, and University of Illinois.

The powerful lines "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," come from the poem "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus, which can be found inscripted at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty. Lazarus was an activist as well as a poet, advocating for immigrants' rights and engaging in charitable work to benefit refugees.