Edwin Arlington Robinson (born December 22, 1869, Head Tide, Maine, U.S.—died April 6, 1935, New York, N.Y.), an American poet best known for his short theatrical poems about the residents of Tilbury Town, a little New England community similar to Gardiner, Maine, where he grew up. Robinson's work was widely read during his lifetime and continues to find new audiences more than 100 years after it was published. Robinson was the son of a schoolteacher and had several siblings. When he was eight years old, his father died, leaving his mother to raise her children on her own. This experience may have influenced Robinson's decision to become an artist rather than pursue another profession. He studied art in Boston under William E. Wallace and later in France. In 1893, he traveled to London where he met many of the leading poets of the day. Upon his return home two years later, he began publishing his poems in magazines such as The Atlantic Monthly and Harper's Bazaar. Many of these poems were set to music and they remain popular today with both classical listeners and singers. Arlington Robinson is considered one of the founders of modernism in poetry. His innovations included formalist techniques, psychological insight, attention to detail, and use of everyday speech. During his career, he received many positive reviews from critics who praised his skill as a poet and called him "the king of American poets."