David Wright (1920-1994) was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and became deaf aged 7 after contracting scarlet fever. He emigrated to England with his family when he was 13 and was educated at Oxford, subsequently living in London, Cornwall, and the Lake District. His first poetry collection, Poems, was published in 1947 by Editions Poetry London and won an Atlantic Award for literature. He also published translations of Beowulf (1957) and The Canterbury Tales (1964). David Wright died on 28 August 1994 at his step-daughter's home in East Sussex.
