A collection of children's poems, Old Possum's Books of Practical Cats (1939), was the inspiration behind Elliot's nickname. As the most prolific poet of the 20th century, he was not only well-respected for his work in poetry, but also in criticism and drama with his intellectual and revolutionary works, such as The Waste Land (1922). This led him to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948. Unravel his full story here.