Wilfred Owen Teaching in France

In September of 1913, at 20 years old Wilfred Owen moved to Bordeaux, France in order to pursue teaching English. He began teaching in the Berlitz school in Bordeaux in order to pursue his passion for English and poetry. Owen began writing poetry when he was 15 years old and by this time was still looking for inspiration and his own personal style of literature. While tutoring a family at Bagneres de Bigorre, in the Pyrenees Owen met the French poet Laurent Tailhade. Building a friendship with Tailhade resulted in Owen learning a lot about French poetry and poets including the likes of; Pierre de Ronsard and Francois Villon. This exposure to French poetry influenced Owen to build and find his own writing style to talk about the war and his experiences.

Associated Place(s)

Event date:

Sep 1913 to Oct 1915