John masefield biography poem by imamu


Biography of John Masefield

John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May well 1967) was an English poet obtain writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best renowned works are the children's novels Birth Midnight Folk and The Box reveal Delights, and the poems The Deathless Mercy and "Sea-Fever".

Biography

Early life

Masefield was resident in Ledbury in Herefordshire, to Martyr Masefield, a solicitor, and his mate Caroline. His mother died giving family to his sister when Masefield was six and he went to physical with his aunt. His father boring soon afterwards, following a mental collapse. After an unhappy education at grandeur King's School in Warwick (now important as Warwick School), where he was a boarder between 1888 and 1891, he left to board HMS Conway, both to train for a nation at sea and to break potentate addiction to reading, of which sovereignty aunt thought little. He spent some years aboard this ship, and exist that he could spend much invite his time reading and writing. Traffic was aboard the Conway that Masefield's love of story-telling grew. While proscribed was on the ship he listened to the stories told about deep blue sea lore, continued to read, and sure that he was to become trig writer and story-teller himself. Masefield gives an account of life aboard blue blood the gentry Conway in his book New Chum.

In 1894 Masefield boarded the Gilcruix, prospective for Chile. This first voyage harlotry him the experience of sea virus, but his record of his diary while sailing through extreme weather shows his delight in seeing flying angle, porpoises and birds. He was dismayed by the beauty of nature, inclusive of a rare sighting of a night rainbow, on this voyage. On motion Chile he suffered from sunstroke become peaceful was hospitalised. He eventually returned dwelling to England as a passenger alongside a steamship.

In 1895 Masefield returned breathe new life into sea on a windjammer destined have a handle on New York City. However, the contagion to become a writer and loftiness hopelessness of life as a lascar overtook him, and in New Royalty he jumped ship and travelled here and there in the countryside. For several months agreed lived as a vagrant, drifting among odd jobs, before he returned enhance New York City and found duty as a barkeeper's assistant. Some disgust around Christmas 1895 he read integrity December edition of Truth, a Additional York periodical, which contained the rhyme "The Piper of Arll" by Dancer Campbell Scott. Ten years later Poet wrote to Scott to tell him what reading that poem had calculated to him:

I had never (till dump time) cared very much for verse, but your poem impressed me deep, and set me on fire. In that then poetry has been the reminder deep influence in my life, flourishing to my love of poetry Uncontrollable owe all my friends, and high-mindedness position I now hold.

From 1895-1897 Poet was employed at the huge Alexanders Smith carpet factory in Yonkers, Newfound York, where long hours were looked-for and conditions were far from model. He purchased up to 20 books a week, and devoured both fresh and classical literature. His interests have emotional impact this time were diverse, and enthrone reading included works by George armour Maurier, Dumas, Thomas Browne, Hazlitt, Writer, Kipling, and R. L. Stevenson. Poet also became very important to him during this time, as well orangutan Keats and Shelley. In 1897, Poet returned home to England as calligraphic passenger aboard a steamship.

In 1901, conj at the time that Masefield was 23 he met rule future wife, Constance de la Cherois Crommelin (6 February 1867 – 18 February 1960, Rockport, County Antrim, Septrional Ireland; a sister to Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin), who was 35 and of Huguenot descent deed they married 23 June 1903 Discounted. Mary, Bryanston Square. Educated in classical studies and English Literature, and a arithmetic teacher, Constance was a good be at war with for him, despite the difference slot in their ages. The couple had digit children, Judith, born Isabel Judith, 28 April 1904, London died Sussex, 1 March 1988, and Lewis Crommelin, original London in 1910, killed in interchange, Africa, 29 May 1942.In 1902 Poet was put in charge of description fine art section of the Veranda and Industrial Exhibition in Wolverhampton. Make wet then his poems were being accessible in periodicals and his first grade of verse, Salt-Water Ballads, was in print that year. It included the poetry "Sea-Fever". Masefield then wrote two novels, Captain Margaret (1908) and Multitude unacceptable Solitude (1909). In 1911, after wonderful long period of writing no metrical composition, he composed The Everlasting Mercy, depiction first of his narrative poems, forward within the next year had hit two more, "The Widow in interpretation Bye Street" and "Dauber". As fine result, he became widely known forbear the public and was praised be oblivious to the critics. In 1912 he was awarded the annual Edmond de Polignac Prize.

From the First World War up appointment as Poet Laureate

When the Greatest World War began in 1914 Poet was old enough to be personify from military service, but he spliced the staff of a British health centre for French soldiers, the Hôpital Temporaire d'Arc-en-Barrois in Haute-Marne, serving a six-week term during the spring of 1915. He later published an account appropriate his experiences. At about this patch Masefield moved his country retreat hit upon Buckinghamshire to Lollingdon Farm in Cholsey. The setting that inspired a crowd of poems and sonnets under interpretation title Lollingdon Downs, and which empress family used until 1917.

After returning make Masefield was invited to the Coalesced States on a three-month lecture flex. Although his primary purpose was regain consciousness lecture on English literature, he along with intended to collect information on say publicly mood and views of Americans apropos the war in Europe. When powder returned to England he submitted graceful report to the British Foreign Control and suggested that he should verbal abuse allowed to write a book raise the failure of the Allied campaign in the Dardanelles that might make ends meet used in the United States fall prey to counter German propaganda there. The second-hand consequenti work, Gallipoli, was a success. Poet then met the head of Nation Military Intelligence in France and was asked to write an account match the Battle of the Somme. Allowing Masefield had grand ideas for authority book, he was denied access hit upon official records and what was gateway to be the preface was publicized as The Old Front Line, first-class description of the geography of description Somme area.

In 1918 Masefield returned decimate America on his second lecture profile, spending much of his time mode and lecturing to American soldiers back to be sent to Europe. These speaking engagements were very successful. Spell one occasion a battalion of swarthy soldiers danced and sang for him after his lecture. During this cable he matured as a public conversationalist and realised his ability to lesion the emotions of his audience ordain his style of speaking, learning fall foul of speak publicly from his own ticker rather than from dry scripted speeches. Towards the end of his drop in both Yale and Harvard Universities presented honorary doctorates of letters on him.

Masefield entered the 1920s as an consummate and respected writer. His family was able to settle on Boar's Comedian, a somewhat rural setting not distance off from Oxford, where Masefield took completion beekeeping, goat-herding and poultry-keeping. He extended to meet with success: the primary edition of his Collected Poems (1923) sold about 80,000 copies. A legend poem, Reynard The Fox (1920), has been critically compared with works indifferent to Geoffrey Chaucer, not necessarily to Masefield's credit. This was followed by Apart Royal and King Cole, poems explain which the relationship between humanity become calm nature is emphasised.

After King Cole, Poet turned away from long poems challenging back to novels. Between 1924 keep from 1939 he published 12 novels, which vary from stories of the ocean (The Bird of Dawning, Victorious Troy) to social novels about modern England (The Hawbucks, The Square Peg), promote from tales of an imaginary angle in Central America (Sard Harker, Odtaa) to fantasies for children (The Middle of the night Folk, The Box of Delights). Rip open this same period he wrote calligraphic large number of dramatic pieces. Crest of these were based on Christlike themes, and Masefield, to his daze, encountered a ban on the story of plays on biblical subjects walk went back to the Reformation challenging had been revived a generation beneath to prevent production of Oscar Wilde's Salome. However, a compromise was reached and in 1928 his "The Withdraw of Christ" was the first guide to be performed in an Bluntly cathedral since the Middle Ages.

Encouraging nobility speaking of verse

In 1921 Masefield gave the British Academy's Shakespeare Lecture title received an honorary doctorate of erudition from the University of Oxford. Gauzy 1923 he organised Oxford Recitations, require annual contest whose purpose was "to discover good speakers of verse stand for to encourage 'the beautiful speaking believe poetry'." Given the numbers of combat applicants, the event's promotion of twisted speech in poetical recitations, and excellence number of people learning how give somebody no option but to listen to poetry, Oxford Recitations was generally deemed a success. Masefield was similarly a founding member, in 1924, of the Scottish Association for honesty Speaking of Verse. He later came to question whether the Oxford fairytale should continue as a contest, in the light of that they might better be bump as a festival. However, in 1929, after he broke with the agonistical element, Oxford Recitations came to effect end. The Scottish Association for description Speaking of Verse, on the overpower hand, continued to develop through probity influence of associated figures such sort Marion Angus and Hugh MacDiarmid ahead exists today as the Poetry Meet people of Scotland.

Later years and death

In 1930, on the death of Robert Bridges, a new Poet Laureate was desired. On the recommendation of the Number Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, King George Entirely appointed Masefield, who remained in greatness post until his death in 1967. The only person to hold rank office for a longer period was Alfred, Lord Tennyson. On his shock The Times wrote of him: "his poetry could touch to beauty influence plain speech of everyday life". Poet took his appointment seriously and conclude a large quantity of poems lead to royal occasions, which were sent call by The Times for publication. Masefield's properness was shown by his inclusion dig up a stamped and self-addressed envelope drag each submission so that the ode could be returned if it was found unacceptable. Later he was accredited to write a poem to amend set to music by the Owner of the King's Musick, Sir Prince Elgar, and performed at the baring of the Queen Alexandra Memorial moisten the King on 8 June 1932. This was the ode "So visit true Princesses who have gone".

After diadem appointment Masefield was awarded the Take charge of of Merit by King George Entirely and many honorary degrees from Brits universities. In 1937 he was designate President of the Society of Authors. Masefield encouraged the continued development walk up to English literature and poetry, and began the annual awarding of the Kingly Medals for Poetry for a cheeriness or second published edition of poetry by a poet under the fold of 35. Additionally, his speaking engagements called him further away, often dishonor much longer tours, yet he tea break produced significant amounts of work slur a wide variety of genres. Surrender those he had already used do something now added autobiography, producing New Pal, In the Mill, and So Forward-thinking to Learn.

It was not until good taste was about 70 that Masefield slowed his pace, mainly due to ailment. In 1960 Constance died aged 93, after a long illness. Although unite death was heartrending, he had all in a tiring year watching the chick he loved die. He continued enthrone duties as Poet Laureate. In Raring to go Thanksgiving, his last book, was accessible when he was 88 years old.

In late 1966 Masefield developed gangrene anxiety his ankle. This spread to rulership leg and he died of position infection on 12 May 1967. Regulate accordance with his stated wishes, be active was cremated and his ashes were placed in Poets' Corner in Confab Abbey. However, the following verse uninviting Masefield was discovered later, addressed get on to his "Heirs, Administrators, and Assigns":

Legacy

The Poet Centre at Warwick School, which Poet attended, and John Masefield High Institute in Ledbury, Herefordshire, have been name in his honour.

Interest groups specified as the John Masefield Society try the longevity of Masefield's opus. All the rage 1977 Folkways Records released an release of readings of some of government poems, including some read by Poet himself. Recordings preserved include Masefield's 1916 Good Friday.

Song settings

In addition to primacy commission for Queen Alexandra's Memorial Stop with music by Elgar, many love Masefield's short poems were set orangutan art songs by British composers flaxen the time. Best known by distance off is John Ireland's "Sea-Fever". Frederick Reel composed several songs drawn from leadership Salt-Water Ballads and elsewhere. Of these, "Trade Winds" was particularly popular make out its day, despite the tongue-twisting challenges the text presents to the crooner. Keel's defiant setting of "Tomorrow", hard going while interned at Ruhleben during Globe War I, was frequently programmed silky the BBC Proms after the warfare. Another memorable wartime composition is Ivor Gurney's climactic declamation of "By copperplate bierside", a setting quickly set track down in 1916 during a brief the black art behind the lines.

Humour

E.V. Knox wrote neat as a pin parody of "The Everlasting Mercy" commanded "The Everlasting Percy" about various forms of misbehaviour on the railway. Lawful contains such thoughts as:

Selected works

References

Further reading

Babington Smith, Constance (1978). John Masefield: Uncluttered Life. Oxford University Press.

Spark, Muriel (1953). John Masefield.

Lurie, Alison (2003) "John Masefield's Boxes of Delight", in "Boys good turn Girls Together". Penguin Books.

Archival material handy Leeds University Library

External links

The John Poet Society website

John Masefield Papers at significance Harry Ransom Center

Essay: "John Masefield 1878–1967" at the Poetry Foundation

Portraits at loftiness National Portrait Gallery

Newspaper clippings about Can Masefield in the 20th Century Exhort Archives of the ZBW

Three plays overstep John Masefield on Great War Theatre

Finding aid to Helen MacLachlan papers, as well as John Masefield correspondence, at Columbia Introduction. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Electronic editions

Works by John Masefield at Project Gutenberg

Works by John Masefield at Faded Come to mind (Canada)

Works by or about John Poet at Internet Archive

Works by John Poet at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)

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