John Clare Quotes

John Clare was born in Helpston, Northamptonshire, England. He was an English poet who became known for his celebrations of the English countryside and sorrows at its disruption. He was the son of a labourer and began work on local farms at the age of seven. He was an energetic autodidact, and his first verses were much influenced by the Scottish poet James Thomson. In 1820 his first book, Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery, was published and created a stir. His second volume of poems, The Village Minstrel, attracted little attention. His third, The Shepherd’s Calendar; with Village Stories, and Other Poems, though containing better poetry, met with the same fate. His last book, The Rural Muse, though praised by critics, again sold poorly; the fashion for peasant poets had passed.