Hugh Selwyn Mauberley

Ezra Pound was born on October 30, 1885, in Hailey, Idaho. He was an expatriate American poet and critic, and a major figure in the early modernism. He contributed to poetry by developing the Imagism, a movement that derived from the classical Japanese and Chinese poetry. His best-known works are Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, Ripostes and the unfinished epic The Cantos. He died on November 1, 1972, in Venice, in his sleep caused by an intestinal blockage.

This book is actually one long poem, which is regarded as the turning point in the career of Ezra Pound. It comprises eighteen short poems, grouped into two sections. The first section represents a general survey of contemporary England, in which the poet attacks the low value this country places on the true art. The second section focuses on the career of Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, the fictional poet in the poem, and his failure as a poet.

This poem is actually autobiographical, reflecting Pound's failure as a poet and expresses the disgust and rejection of the British society.