Thomas Gray was an English poet, letter-writer, and classical scholar who spent much of his career at Cambridge University. He held fellowships first at Peterhouse and later at Pembroke College. Gray is widely remembered for his Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, published in 1751, which became one of the most celebrated poems in English literature. Despite his significant reputation and influence, Gray was a notably self-critical writer who published only 13 poems during his lifetime. His selective approach to publication did not diminish his standing in literary circles. In 1757, following the death of Colley Cibber, Gray was offered the position of Poet Laureate, one of the highest honors available to a writer of his era. He declined the offer.