About Thom Gunn
Thomson William "Thom" Gunn was an English poet who was praised for his early verses in England, where he was associated with The Movement, and his later poetry in America, where he adopted a looser, free-verse style. He wrote about his experience moving to San Francisco from England. He received numerous literary honours. His poems are reputed to possess a restrained elegance of philosophy. He won Publishing Triangle's inaugural Triangle Award for Gay Poetry in 2001 for Boss Cupid; following his death, the award was renamed the Thom Gunn Award in his memory. In 2003, Gunn was awarded the David Cohen Prize for Literature together with Beryl Bainbridge. During the 1960s and 1970s, Gunn's verse became increasingly bold in its exploration of drug taking, homosexuality, and poetic form.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.