Cecil Day-Lewis

Cecil Day-Lewis was an English poet and novelist who served as Poet Laureate from 1968 to 1972 and wrote detective fiction as Nicholas Blake.

Nicholas Blake: Nicholas Blake was the pen name under which Cecil Day-Lewis published detective fiction. The pseudonym let Day-Lewis pursue crime writing alongside his poetry.
Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom: The Poet Laureate is an officially appointed poet who produces work for national occasions. Day-Lewis held this British office from 1968 until his death in 1972.
Oxford poets: The Oxford poets were writers associated with Oxford University who became prominent in British literature between the world wars. Day-Lewis’s Oxford years placed him within the generation that included Auden and Spender.
Order of Merit: The Order of Merit is a British honor recognizing distinguished service in the arts, sciences, and other fields. Day-Lewis received the honor in 1968, the year he became Poet Laureate.
W. H. Auden: W. H. Auden was an English-language poet whose work shaped modern poetry. Auden was Day-Lewis’s close contemporary and fellow member of the 1930s poetic generation.
The Beast Must Die: The Beast Must Die is a 1938 detective novel by Nicholas Blake, featuring private detective Nigel Strangeways. This novel exemplifies the crime fiction Day-Lewis wrote under his pseudonym.
Spanish Civil War: The Spanish Civil War was a conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between Spain’s Republicans and Nationalists. The war sharpened the political commitments voiced in Day-Lewis’s 1930s poetry.
Detective fiction: Detective fiction is a genre in which investigation and the solution of a crime drive the narrative. Day-Lewis’s Nicholas Blake novels made him a contributor to this popular genre.
Stephen Spender: Stephen Spender was an English poet, essayist, and editor associated with 1930s political poetry. Spender shared Day-Lewis’s literary circle and political concerns.
Nigel Strangeways: Nigel Strangeways is the amateur detective in a series of crime novels by Nicholas Blake. The recurring detective gave Day-Lewis a vehicle for his mystery-writing career.

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