John Gray (poet) French, German, Latin, music and art. In 1882 he passed the Civil Service exams and, five years later, the University of London matriculation exams. He joined the Foreign Office where he became a librarian. Gray is best known today as an aesthetic poet of the 1890s and as a friend of Ernest Dowson, Aubrey Beardsley and Oscar Wilde. He was also a talented translator, bringing works by the French Symbolists Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Verlaine, Jules Laforgue and Arthur Rimbaud into English, often for the first time. He is purported to be the inspiration behind the title character in Wilde's "The
Poet in the City new audiences for poetry by presenting the art form in a way which is inspiring, celebratory and fun, and work with audiences of all ages, with different interests and backgrounds, and across sectors. Poet in the City was awarded National Portfolio Organisation status in April 2011, in 2014 and again in 2017, meaning the organisation will receive regular funding from Arts Council England 2018 to 2022. It operates a mixed funding model, combining private and business philanthropy, earned income and public subsidy. Poet in the City works with a range of partners and venues across London, challenging the boundaries of