About Edward Carpenter
Edward Carpenter (29 August 1844 – 28 June 1929) was an English socialist poet, philosopher, anthologist, and early activist for gay rights. Although less well known today he had an extraordinary impact on the cultural and political landscape of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was at heart a mystic who advocated free love, recycling, nudism, women’s suffrage, and prison reform. His work and vision anticipated the sexual revolution of the 1960s. He was a friend to Rabindranath Tagore, Walt Whitman, Annie Besant, Mahatma Gandhi, amongst many others of his day. He was also an influence on both D. H. Lawrence and Sri Aurobindo. Edward Carpenter was an inspiration for his time.
