John Clare
John Clare | |
|---|---|
John Clare by William Hilton, oil on canvas, 1820 | |
| Born | 13 July 1793 Helpston, Northamptonshire, England |
| Died | 20 May 1864 (aged 70) Northampton, Northamptonshire, England |
| Genre | Rural |
| Notable works | Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery |
| Signature | |
John Clare (13 July 1793 – 20 May 1864) was an English poet. The son of a farm labourer, he became known for his celebrations of the English countryside and his sorrows at its disruption. His work underwent major re-evaluation in the late 20th century; he is now often seen as a major 19th-century poet. His biographer Jonathan Bate called Clare "the greatest labouring-class poet that England has ever produced. No one has ever written more powerfully of nature, of a rural childhood, and of the alienated and unstable self."