Fugitive, any of a group of young poets and critics formed shortly after World War I at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., some of whom later became distinguished men of letters. The group, led by the poet and critic John Crowe Ransom (q.v.), devoted itself to the writing and discussion of poetry and published a bimonthly magazine, The Fugitive (1922–25), edited by poet Allen Tate (q.v.). Other important members of the group were the poet, essayist, and critic Donald Davidson and the novelist and poet Robert Penn Warren. Outstanding selections from the magazine were collected in the Fugitive Anthology (1928).
Acutely aware of their Southern heritage, the Fugitives advocated a form of literary regionalism, concentrating largely on the history and customs of the South in their work. Many of the Fugitives went on to become leaders in the Agrarian movement of the 1930s, which sought to resist the inroads of industrialism by a return to the agricultural economy of the Old South. Their views were published as a symposium in I’ll Take My Stand (1930).