Edgar Albert Guest (20 August 1881 – 5 August 1959) was a British-born American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

who became known as the People's Poet. His poems often had an inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life.

Early life

Guest was born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England in 1881, to Edwin and Julia Wayne Guest. In 1891, his family moved from England to

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Michigan, where Guest for the rest of his life.

Career

After he began at the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'' as a copy boy and then a reporter, his first poem appeared on 11 December 1898. He became a

naturalized citizen Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

in 1902. For 40 years, Guest was widely read throughout

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, and his sentimental, optimistic poems were in the same vein as the

light verse Light poetry or light verse is poetry that attempts to be humorous. Light poems are usually brief, can be on a frivolous or serious subject, and often feature word play including puns, adventurous rhyme, and heavy alliteration. Nonsense poetry i ...

of Nick Kenny, who wrote syndicated columns during the same decades. From his first published work in the ''Detroit Free Press'' until his death in 1959, Guest penned some 11,000 poems which were syndicated in some 300 newspapers and collected in more than 20 books, including ''A Heap o' Livin (1916) and ''Just Folks'' (1923–1957). In 1952, Guest was made Poet Laureate of Michigan, the only poet to have been awarded the title until 2023, when the position was revived. His popularity led to a weekly Detroit radio show which he hosted from 1931 until 1942, followed by a 1951

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

television series, ''A Guest in Your House''. He also had a thrice-weekly transcribed radio program that began 15 January 1941, and was sponsored by

Land O'Lakes Land O'Lakes, Inc. is an American member-owned agricultural cooperative based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of Arden Hills, Minnesota, United States, focusing on the dairy industry. The cooperative has 1,959 direct producer-members, 751 ...

Creameries. The program featured singer

Eddy Howard Edward Evan Duncan Howard (September 12, 1914 – May 23, 1963) was an American vocalist and bandleader who was popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Early years Eddy Howard was born in Woodland, California, and after attending San Jose State Coll ...

. Guest was made a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

in Detroit, where he was a lifetime member of Ashlar Lodge No. 91. In honor of Guest's devotion to the Craft, community, and humanity in general, the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Michigan established the Edgar A. Guest Award for lodges to present to non-Masons within the community who have demonstrated distinguished service to the community and their fellow man. Guest was a member of The Tin Whistles. Guest was asked to read a couple of poems for the 1922 Annual Banquet, instead he came up with two new poems, one about Pinehurst and about The Tin Whistles. When Guest died in 1959, he was buried in Detroit's

Woodlawn Cemetery Woodlawn Cemetery is the name of several cemeteries, including: Canada * Woodlawn Cemetery (Saskatoon) * Woodlawn Cemetery (Nova Scotia) United States ''(by state then city or town)'' * Woodlawn Cemetery (Ocala, Florida), where Isaac Rice and fa ...

. His grandniece

Judith Guest Judith Guest (born March 29, 1936) is an American novelist and screenwriter. She was born in Detroit, Michigan and is the great-niece of Poet Laureate Edgar Guest (1881–1959).

is a novelist best known for Ordinary People (Guest novel), Ordinary People (1976).

Reputation

Guest's work still occasionally appears in periodicals such as ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

'', and some favorites, such as "Myself" and "Thanksgiving," are still studied today. However, in one of the most quoted appraisals of his work,

Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet and writer of fiction, plays and screenplays based in New York; she was known for her caustic wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. Parker ros ...

reputedly said: "I'd rather flunk my

Wassermann test The Wassermann test or Wassermann reaction (WR) is an antibody test for syphilis, named after the bacteriologist August Paul von Wassermann, based on complement fixation. It was the first blood test for syphilis and the first in the nontrepon ...

than read a poem by Edgar Guest."

In popular culture

In 1924, American composer Gertrude Martin Rohrer used Guest's text for her song "Results and Roses". Edgar Guest is a favorite poet of

Edith Bunker Edith Bunker is a fictional character on the 1970s sitcom ''All in the Family'' (and occasionally '' Archie Bunker's Place''), played by Jean Stapleton. She is married to Archie Bunker, mother of Gloria Stivic, mother-in-law of Michael "Meathe ...

from the TV show ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...

''. She quotes him in a few episodes, including "Prisoner in the House", first broadcast on 4 January 1975. Guest is mentioned several times in the eleventh book in

Lemony Snicket Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American author Daniel Handler and a fictional character of his creation. Handler has published various children's books under the name, including ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', which has sold over 60 millio ...

's ''

A Series of Unfortunate Events ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' is a series of thirteen Children's literature, children's novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket. The books follow the turbulent lives of orphaned siblings List of A ...

'', '' The Grim Grotto''. Klaus Baudelaire recalls how he was once given a

Hobson's choice A Hobson's choice is a free choice in which only one thing is actually offered. The term is often used to describe an illusion that choices are available. The best known example is "I'll give you a choice: Take it or leave it", wherein "leaving ...

of doing the dishes or reading Guest's poetry, and the villainous crew of

Count Olaf The children's novel series '' A Series of Unfortunate Events'' and its film and television adaptations features a large cast of characters created by Daniel Handler under the pen name of Lemony Snicket. The original series follows the turbul ...

's submarine ''Carmelita'' wear badges depicting Guest (in contrast to the heroes' badges depicting

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works ar ...

). The book's author goes out of his way to praise Melville and disparage Guest as a "writer of limited skill, who wrote awkward, tedious poetry on hopelessly sentimental topics." In the novel '' I Am Legend'', the main character Robert Neville sardonically comments on his own internal monologue: "The last man in the world is Edgar Guest". Guest's poem "It Couldn't Be Done" was recited by

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba Order of the British Empire, OBE ( ; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor and musician. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards and six Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards. He w ...

on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's Sports Personality of the Year Award on 16 December 2012 whilst celebrating Team GB and Paralympics GB winning the team award for 2012. Guest's poem "The Epicure" was reproduced in Mad #84 (January 1964) with new illustrations by Don Martin. Guest's poem "See It Through," was used in a

Chrysler 300 The Chrysler 300 is a full-size car manufactured and marketed by Stellantis North America and its predecessor companies. It was available as a four-door sedan and station wagon in its first generation (model years 2005–2010), and solely as ...

commercial. Guest's poem ''Don't Quit'' ("When things go wrong, as they sometimes will..") was paraphrased in ''

The Doris Day Show ''The Doris Day Show'' is an American sitcom which was originally broadcast on CBS from September 1968 until March 1973, remaining on the air for five seasons and 128 episodes. The series is remembered for its multiple format and cast chang ...

'', ''The Librarian,'' episode 9, season I. Incidentally ''Don't Quit'' is also attributed to

John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...

(1807 – 1892). The International Horseshoers' Monthly Magazine (January 1922) attributes it to National labor Journal as the source, without naming the author. Guest's poem "It Couldn't Be Done" was used in an

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

commercial.

Tracey Gold Tracey Gold (born May 16, 1969) is an American actress and former child star known for her role as Carol Seaver on the 1980s sitcom ''Growing Pains''. Acting career Tracey Gold became an actress at the age of four, first appearing in a Pepsi pr ...

did read Guest's poem "A Child of Mine" during the funeral of

Judith Barsi Judith Eva Barsi (June 6, 1978 – July 25, 1988) was an American child actress. She began her career in television, making appearances in commercials and television series, as well as the 1987 film '' Jaws: The Revenge''. She also provided the ...

. "It Couldn't Be Done" inspired a

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

, "They Said That It Couldn't Be Done", by comedian

Benny Hill Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 18 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor and scriptwriter. He is best remembered for his television programme, ''The Benny Hill Show'', a comedy-variety show whose amalgam of slapstick, bu ...

. Guest's poem "Equipment" was used in part for inspiration in the work of J.I.D. on his single "Skeegee".

Works

*''Home Rhymes, from'' Breakfast Table Chat (1909) *''The Panama Canal'' (1915) *''A Heap o' Livin (1916) *''Just Glad Things'' (1916) *''Just Folks'' (1917) *''Over Here'' (1918) *''Poems of Patriotism'' (1918) *''The Path to Home'' (1919) *''A Dozen New Poems'' (1920) *''Sunny Songs'' (1920) *''Keep Going'' (''Don't Quit'') (1921) *''When Day Is Done'' (1921) *''Don't Quit'' (3 March 1921) *''All That Matters'' (1922) *''Making The House A Home'' (1922) *''The Passing Throng'' (1923) *''Rhymes of Childhood'' (1924) *''Mother'' (1925) *''The Light of Faith'' (1926) *''The Secret of The Ages'' (1926) *''You'' (1927) *''Harbor Lights of Home'' (1928) *''You Can't Live Your Own Life'' (1929) *''Poems for the Home Folks'' (1930) *''The Friendly Way'' (1931) *''Faith'' (1932) *''Life's Highway'' (1933) *''Collected Verse of Edgar Guest'' (1934) *''All in a Lifetime'' (1938) *''Between You and Me: My Philosophy of Life'' (1938) *''Today and Tomorrow'' (1942) *''Living the Years'' (1949) *''Sermons We See'' *''Courage'' *''The Proof of Worth'' *''See It Through'' *''Life's Slacker'' *''Team Work'' *''Can't'' *''At Christmas'' *''Things Work Out'' *''Have you Earned your Tomorrow'' *''Girl I Hope You Understand *''A Child of Mine

References

External links

* * * *
American Academy of Poets: Edgar Guest

Edgar Guest on Poemist.com

Edgar Guest on Poeticous.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guest, Edgar 1881 births 1959 deaths 20th-century American poets 20th-century American non-fiction writers Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit) Detroit Free Press people English emigrants to the United States Poets from Michigan Poets laureate of Michigan Writers from Birmingham, West Midlands Writers from Detroit Newspaper poets