Alun Lewis author page

Alun Lewis biography

Alun Lewis was a Welsh poet and writer, known for his contributions to literature during the Second World War. He was educated at Cowbridge Grammar School and the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. Lewis worked as a teacher before enlisting in the British Army in 1940.

His first collection of poetry, Raider’s Dawn and Other Poems, was published in 1942 by Allen & Unwin. The collection received attention for its focus on war and personal experience. In 1944, his short story collection The Last Inspection was published, also by Allen & Unwin. Lewis’s poetry and prose often reflected his experiences as a soldier in India and Burma.

After his death in 1944, a second poetry collection, Ha! Ha! Among the Trumpets: Poems in Transit, was published posthumously in 1945. His collected poems and letters have since been published in several editions, including Collected Poems of Alun Lewis (1966) and Selected Letters of Alun Lewis (1989).

Alun Lewis is recognised for his literary output during wartime, with his works remaining in print and studied in the context of twentieth-century British poetry. His final collection, Ha! Ha! Among the Trumpets, was published posthumously in 1945.