Peter William Redgrove (2 January 1932 – 16 June 2003) was a prolific and widely respected British poet, who also wrote works with his second wife Penelope Shuttle on menstruation and women's health, novels and plays.
He was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. He was educated at Taunton School, and Queens' College, Cambridge. While at Cambridge he edited delta magazine for a couple of issues, and met the poets Ted Hughes and Harry Guest. He left in 1954 without taking a degree, married the sculptor Barbara Sherlock, and went into copywriting.
In Cambridge he participated in Philip Hobsbaum's poetry discussion group. He continued to participate when these discussions moved to London and was thus a member of 'The Group'. He taught at the University at Buffalo in 1961/2, and was Gregory Fellow at the University of Leeds from 1962 to 1965.
Towards and until the end of his life, Peter lived in Falmouth, Cornwall, United Kingdom, where some of his more magickal/mystical poems were inspired and written. He leaves behind two children from his first marriage, to the sculptor Barbara Redgrove. Also Penelope, his second wife and an accomplished writer in her own right, and daughter Zoe; who is an expert in renewable energy.
The best of his poetry is charged with a sense of wonder, mixing scientific and magical viewpoints in a distinctive and profound way. It is considered by many to be some of the most moving literature by any English poet.
