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Alan Seeger (1888 - 1916) was born in New York. He subsequently lived in Staten Island and Mexico, the later perhaps having some influence over his poetry. He moved to the Latin quarter of Paris and enlisted as a soldier in August 1914. As the Americans did not enter the first world war until 1917, he joined the French Foreign Legion. He was killed in action at Belloy-en-Santerre, famously cheering on his fellow soldiers in a successful charge after being hit several times himself by machine gun fire. Interestingly, some of his later poems have references to wanting to die young and in a blaze of glory.

His collection ‘poems’ were published posthumously after his death, first appearing in 1917, and were regarded at the time as old fashioned despite the fact Seeger like to live a bohemian lifestyle.

Seegers poems were reviewed by T.S Eliot with whom he attended Harvard in 1910.