TS Eliot's impact on poetry is unrivaled in the 20th century. Although his work was criticized for being different from others of his time, his differences are considered the beginning of what is called "modern poetry." His distinct style was influenced by his American heritage, his mental breakdown, and his readings of the Italian Renaissance and French Symbolists. His unique views on society and literature gave him a new perspective, which led him to become a highly influential poet and critic as he pioneered the modern poetry movement. Thomas Stearns Eliot was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to an old New England family. Eliot attended Harvard as an undergraduate in 1906 and soon after completed his graduate studies in philosophy. He then moved to England, where he was for a time a schoolmaster, a bank employee, then a literary editor for the publishing house Faber & Faber, of which he later became director. He founded and edited the exclusive and influential literary journal Criterion for the seventeen years of its publication (1922-1939). In 1927, Eliot became a British citizen and consequently entered the Anglican Church (Frenz, 1969). Eliot views his transition from America to England as having a great influence on himself and making him unique in terms of his situation from other poets. He said of his poetry “it wouldn't be what it is if I had been born in England, and it wouldn't be what it is if I had stayed in America” (Hall, 1959). Another of Eliot's influences was his relationship with Ezra Pound, the man who "discovered" Eliot and made him famous. Eliot grew up not only because of their shared ideologies, but also because of Pound's demands to stay in England. Pound was so adamant that...... middle of article...... taken from http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/4738/the-art-of-poetry-no-1- ts-eliotKeely, E. (1970) George Seferis, The Art of Poetry No. 13. The Paris Review, Fall 1970 (50) Retrieved from http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/4112/the-art-of -poetry-no-13-george-seferisLow, A. (June 6, 2009) TS Eliot [TV documentary episode]. BBC (Producer), Arena. UK: Illuminations Films Gonzalez, A. (2005) TS Eliot and the Modern Movement. Retrieved from http://lordyal3ks-tseliot.tripod.com/id11.htmlMatthiessen, F.O. (1976). The Making of TS Eliot: An Essay on the Nature of Poetry. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Trivedi, R. (April 20, 2010). Eliot - The Portrait of a Lady (Part 2). . Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://englishliteratureviewsreviews.blogspot.com/Eliot, T.S. (1920). Prufrock and other observations. New York: AA Knopf.