Alan Seeger

Alan Seeger (1888–1916) was an American poet best known for the World War I poem “I Have a Rendezvous with Death.” Born in New York City, he studied at Harvard University and later lived in Paris. After the outbreak of World War I, Seeger enlisted in the French Foreign Legion, serving with French forces before the United States entered the conflict. His wartime experience shaped his poetry, much of it marked by idealism, fatalism, and a romantic view of sacrifice. Seeger was killed in action on July 4, 1916, during fighting at the Battle of the Somme.