The Poetry of Charlotte Mew: London born Victorian Poet who wowed peers such as Hardy, Woolf & Sassoon

Charlotte Mary Mew was born on 15th November, 1869 in London to professional parents – her father was responsible for the design of Hampstead Town Hall.
Charlotte, one of seven children; three of whom died in early childhood, was educated at Lucy Harrison's School for Girls and attended lectures at University College, London.

In 1898 her father died but failed to make provision for the family. Her mother, anxious about the family's social standing, did not want that known even though there was heavy ongoing expense for two other siblings who were in mental institutions.

However for Charlotte helping to support this overhead and her mother and sister, Anne, meant that her ambition to be a paid writer must now become a reality. Initially this meant prose - her poetry was to gestate until later in life.

During this time Charlotte and Anne made a pact never to marry for fear of passing on insanity to their children.

As a writer Charlotte was a modernist, resisting the shackles of Victorian society's suffocating demands on behaviour especially for women. Despite her diminutive figure and dainty feet, she wore trousers, kept her hair short, smoked roll ups, was a Lesbian and tried to appear masculine.

Her difficult family life, although her close relationship with Anne was a constant source of comfort and companionship until her death in 1927, was coupled with rejection in her personal life but also provided inspiration for her wonderfully insightful and original poetry that you can read here.

Despite her fans including Thomas Hardy, Virginia Woolf and Siegfried Sassoon, Charlotte's works have been shamefully neglected. With your help we hope to put that right with this collection of her best poems.

Charlotte Mew died on 24th March in 1928 and was buried at Hampstead Cemetery.

01 - The Poetry of Charlotte Mew - An Introduction

02 - The Farmer's Bride by Charlotte Mew

03 - Madeline in Church by Charlotte Mew

04 - The Voice by Charlotte Mew

05 - Ken by Charlotte Mew

06 - Moorland Night by Charlotte Mew

07 - The Trees Are Down by Charlotte Mew

08 - In the Fields by Charlotte Mew

09 - I So Like Spring by Charlotte Mew

10 - The Forest Road by Charlotte Mew

11 - On the Asylum Road by Charlotte Mew

12 - On the Road to the Sea by Charlotte Mew

13 - Sea Love by Charlotte Mew

14 - Pecheresse by Charlotte Mew

15 - Monsieur Qui Passe by Charlotte Mew

16 - A Quoi Bon Dire by Charlotte Mew

17 - My Heart is Lame by Charlotte Mew

18 - The Fete by Charlotte Mew

19 - Fin de Fete by Charlotte Mew

20 - The Sunlit House by Charlotte Mew

21 - Not For That City by Charlotte Mew

22 - May 1915 Charlotte Mew

23 - The Centoaph by Charlotte Mew

24 - In Nunhead Cemetery by Charlotte Mew