Madison Cawein

Bio

A brief biography of Madison Cawein

Madison Julius Cawein was born March 23, 1865 in Louisville, Kentucky. He was a prolific poet, penning 36 books and over 1,500 poems.

Madison was the fifth child in his family. His father made patent medicines from herbs, which gave Cawein a fascination for nature. After graduating high school, he worked as a cashier in a billiards hall for six years, saving his earnings so he could return home to write.

Cawein’s poetic style was likened to John Keats, earning him the nickname, &lduo;Keats of Kentucky.” A very successful poet in his day, in an article in the Courier-Journal in 1900, he claimed that he was earning upwards of $100 month for the poetry he published in magazines.

In 1912, Cawein was forced to sell his home after losing his money in the stock market crash. A year later he would publish one of his most famous poems, “Waste Land.” Scholars have seen this (and several other of Cawein’s poems) as inspiration for T.S. Eliot’s poem, “The Waste Land.”

Madison Cawein died on December 8, 1914 and was buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.