Edward Lucie-Smith remembered for art criticism and pioneering poetry workshops
Original report:
A Guardian obituary published on 6 November 2026 reported the death of Edward Lucie-Smith, aged 93. The prolific art historian and poet wrote almost 100 books and helped turn a London literary discussion group into a workshop for developing poems.
Edward Lucie-Smith, the poet, art historian and critic, died aged 93, according to the Guardian’s November 2026 obituary. His output included almost 100 full-length books, ranging from studies of individual artists to broad historical surveys. He also contributed to arts publications and spent decades broadcasting on BBC radio.
Born near Kingston, Jamaica, Lucie-Smith studied history at Oxford before pursuing poetry and criticism. He became the leading figure in the literary circle known as the Group after Philip Hobsbaum moved to Sheffield in 1959. Thursday meetings at his Chelsea home increasingly focused on participants’ own poems, helping establish a recognisable model of the contemporary poetry workshop.
The Group brought together writers including Peter Porter, Peter Redgrove and Adrian Mitchell; Ted Hughes continued submitting poems after leaving for the US. Its emphasis on examining how poems work gave collective discussion a central place in literary practice. The obituary connects that approach with Lucie-Smith’s commitment to accessible explanations of art.
Source
the Guardian — 6 November 2026
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