Books like Wilfred Owen

I read this biography several years ago and was profoundly moved and inspired by the growth of such a young man, from classically-educated school boy finding his own voice to the raw and brutally honest poet we are so familiar with now. When I finished this biography we were living near Birkenhead library. Owen's father had been the local station master and two of the family homes were nearby. I realised I could walk to both addresses from the library. One house is a simple Victorian terrace the other a larger semi. I was amazed there was nothing to indicate Owen had lived in either house considering his fame and reputation. By a beautiful coincidence, on returning to the library, I noticed a stack of leaflets by English Heritage asking for suggestions for properties worthy of blue plaques and of course I filled the form in straight away. Several months later I received a letter saying my application had been approved and they had chosen the larger of the two houses for a blue plaque. I was invited to the unveiling ceremony. About thirty of us climbed aboard an old red double-decker bus (cheesy I know!) including Owen's surviving family members, a few people from English Heritage and Lloyd Grossman (even cheesier). No one introduced themselves to me. I was only twenty-four at the time. I am sure they thought I was a stowaway! It was so moving to watch the unveiling and to know he would be properly remembered. It made me glow inside to be a small part of preserving his legacy and very strange to be anonymous (until now!). In conclusion, a very memorable book!