Clare, John - 1793–1864, English poet. A romantic poet who wrote shortly after the vogue for such verse, he had a gift for capturing nature in beautifully specific detail. The son of a peasant, Clare has been called the poorest major writer in English literature, and was sometimes reduced to making his own paper and ink. His Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery (1820) brought him a short period of fame and briefly improved his finances. Subsequent volumes included The Village Minstrel (1821) and Rural Muse (1835). Throughout his life Clare suffered fits of melancholy, which were intensified by financial difficulties and bad health. In 1837 he was declared insane and committed to an asylum; during his first years there he wrote some of his best poems. Clare spent his last 26 years in institutions.
See the edition of his poetry ed. by E. Robinson et al. (9 vol., 1964–2003); biographies by J. W. Tibble and A. Northgrave (2d ed. 1972), F. Martin (1865, repr. 1973), and J. Bate (2003); studies by M. Storey, ed. (1973) and J. M. Todd (1973). The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved. |