Stephen Spender was an English poet, novelist and essayist born in 1909 in London. He was educated at Oxford University where he met W.H. Auden. Spender left university without a degree and went to Berlin in 1930. He took an interest in politics and declared himself a socialist and pacifist. During World War II, he enlisted in the London Fire Service. Spender worked for several organizations including Unesco and the British Council throughout his career. He became a Professor of English at University College London and died in 1995.