Who is Lionel Johnson

Lionel Pigot Johnson (15 March 1867 – 4 October 1902) was an English poet, essayist, and critic (although he claimed Irish descent and wrote on Celtic themes.)

Life

Johnson was born in Broadstairs, Kent, England in 1867 and educated at Winchester College. While at Winchester, Johnson became friends with Frank Russell, 2nd Earl Russell. The two started a lengthy religious discussion that Russell later published as Some Winchester Letters of Lionel Johnson (1919).

Johnson graduated from New College, Oxford, in 1890 and converted to Catholicism in June 1891. At that time, Johnson introduced Lord Alfred Douglas to his friend Oscar Wilde. Johnson later denounced Wilde in "The Destroyer of a Soul" (1892) and deeply regretted that he had unwittingly initiated...
Read Full Biography

---

Lionel Johnson Poems

• Ways Of War
  A terrible and splendid trust,
  Heartens the host of Innisfail;
  Their dream is of the swift sword-thrust;
  The lightning glory of the Gael....
• To Morfydd
  A voice on the winds,
  A voice by the waters,
  Wanders and cries:
  Oh! what are the winds?...

Read All Poems

---

Lionel Johnson Quotes

Read All Quotes

---

Comments about Lionel Johnson

• Shrapnelvargr: all the muppets whinging about a dark angel with a pride flag need to go read up on who lionel johnson was, and what he wrote a century ago. just sayin'
• Tyreekimber: i love this, especially since my headcannon is that lion-el johnson is the historical lionel johnson (a perpetual,) and now that he's back, the dark angels are joyfully coming out of the closet.
• Thereal16067419: dwayne johnson: 'obsessing over lionel messi is dumb'
• Linoumajorzero: "lion el'johnson" is a play on english poet lionel johnson, whose most famous poem "the dark angel" is about being a closeted gay man. the rock, the dark angels' fortress monastery, was the name of the biggest gay club in nottingham in the 80s.
• Djbrojo: lionel johnson

Read All Comments