Drinkwater, John (1882-1937)

English poet and dramatist. He was a prolific writer of lyrical and reflective verse, and also wrote many historical plays, including Abraham Lincoln (1918) and Mary Stuart (1921). His work had an important influence on the revival of serious drama.

Drinkwater was born in Leytonstone, Essex. He was one of the founders of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre (1913).

His first book, Poems (1903), was followed by The Death of Leander (1906) and, among others, Olton Pools (1916), New Poems (1925), and Summer Harvest (1933). His historical plays include Oliver Cromwell (1921), Robert E Lee (1923), and Robert Burns (1925). He also wrote a number of biographies, including studies of the poet Byron (1925, Oliver Cromwell (1927), the diarist Samuel Pepys (1930), and Shakespeare (1933).