Dannie Abse was born in Cardiff, Wales on 22nd September 1923 to a Jewish family, the younger brother of politician and reformer Leo Abse and eminent psychoanalyst Wilfred Abse. Before becoming a poet Abse was a doctor and studied at the University of Wales College of Medicine, Westminster Hospital Medical School and King's college London. He then went onto become a chest specialist in London.
Abse published his first poetic volume in 1949 it was called After Every Green Thing. His first autobiographical work was called Ash On a Young Man's sleeve published in 1954. Dannie Abse lived in North West London for many decades and wrote in the local newspaper for Hampstead where he lived. His wife was killed in a car crash in 2005 in which he suffered a broken rib, this tragedy sparked him to write The Presence a memoir of the year after his wife died published in 2007 and a poetry collection called Running Late in 2006.
