D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence (September 11, 1885-March 2, 1930) was a British novelist, essayist, poet, and literary critic. In his works, he urged men and women to follow their feelings and was highly critical of industrial society. This is typified in his first major novel, Sons and Lovers (1913) in which he described his early life growing up in a coal mining town. He followed with The Rainbow (1915); Women in Love (1920); and Aaron's Rod (1922). Lawrence was one of the most controversial authors of the early 20th century due to his open discussion of sexual passion in his novels. While continuing to pen hundreds of poems, novels, plays, letters, and short stories, he traveled extensively around the world and gained a reputation as one of the finest travel writers in the English language.