The Blind God & Other Poems

Isaac Rosenberg was born on November 25th 1890 in Bristol. As a child his family moved to the squalid streets of London’s Jewish Ghetto, and took any number of menial jobs to survive. Isaac only attended school briefly at age 14. He began work as an engraver’s apprentice and to work in his spare time on his painting. These talents in painting and other visual arts allowed him to go to a funded place at the Slade School of Art. His early poetry was closely associated with the Romantic movement, especially the influences of Keats and Shelley. His volume of poems ‘Youth’ was published in 1915 and then he enlisted to fight in the War. He fought until 1918 and his death in the battle of Arras on April 1st at the age of 28. Within those few short years he found his own distinctive and clear voice. He is mainly remembered as a War Poet and on the horrific canvas that was to be The First World War he expressed himself as few others could. ‘August 1914’ like many of his works is short but distilled to an essence with a clear and unquenchable voice.