John Masefield (1878–1967) was one of the most prolific poets of the twentieth century. He is best known for his narrative poem “The Everlasting Mercy,” which described the spiritual enlightenment of a drunken poacher. Over the span of his lifetime, he was appointed Poet Laureate and amassed a large number of admirers, which included John Betjeman, Robert Graves, and W. B. Yeats.
Ronald Pickup has worked as a television, film, and theater actor for more than fifty years. He has performed with the Royal National Theatre; starred in numerous BBC television shows; and acted in numerous movies, including Secret Passage and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he lives in Great Britain.
