John Heath-Stubbs was an English poet and translator, known for his verse influenced by classical myths, and the long Arthurian poem,Artorius. He was born on 9 July 1918 in London and educated at Queens College, Oxford. A critic, anthologist and translator as well as a poet, he has received the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry and the prestigious St Augustine Cross.

His books were numerous. Swarming of the Bees and A Charm Against the Toothache (1954) are memorable: the latter had his satirical and lyrical powers in a lovely balance. Later titles revealed a dark streak, with The Blue Fly in His Head (1962) and Buzz Buzz (1981). The Selected Poems were published in 1965, and his master work Arctorius won the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1973.He was a representative figure of British poetry in the early 1950s, editing the poetry anthology Images of Tomorrow (1953) and, with David Wright, The Faber Book of Twentieth Century Verse,  among others. He died in London on 25th December 2006.