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John Clare (1793-1864), the ''peasant poet'', worked as an agricultural labourer in Northamptonshire until a deterioration in his mental health saw him committed to an insane asylum. He published four volumes of verse, including Poems , Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery (1820), and The Shepherd''s Calendar (1827). In this series, a contemporary poet selects and introduces a poet of the past. By their choice of poems and by the personal and critical reactions they express in their prefaces, the editors offer insights into their own work as well as providing an accessible and passionate introduction to some of the greatest poets of our literature.
About the author
John Clare (1793-1864), the 'peasant poet', worked as an agricultural labourer in Northamptonshire until a deterioration in his mental health saw him committed to an insane asylum. He published four volumes of verse, including Poems, Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery (1820), and The Shepherd's Calendar (1827).Paul Farley was born in Liverpool in 1965 and studied at the Chelsea School of Art. He has published three books with Picador: The Boy from the Chemist is Here to See You (which was awarded the Somerset Maugham Award and a Forward Prize in 1998); The Ice Age (winner of the 2002 Whitbread Poetry Prize, and a Poetry Book Society Choice); and Tramp in Flames, which was short-listed for the international Griffin Poetry Prize. He has also written a book on Terence Davies's Distant Voices, Still Lives (British Film Institute, 2006) and in 2007 edited a selection of John Clare for Faber's Poet-to-Poet series. As a broadcaster he has made many arts and documentary programmes for radio and television, and has written four radio dramas. He also works as a teacher, and lives in north Lancashire.Paul Farley was born in Liverpool in 1965 and studied at the Chelsea School of Art. He has published three books with Picador: The Boy from the Chemist is Here to See You (which was awarded the Somerset Maugham Award and a Forward Prize in 1998); The Ice Age (winner of the 2002 Whitbread Poetry Prize, and a Poetry Book Society Choice); and Tramp in Flames, which was short-listed for the international Griffin Poetry Prize. He has also written a book on Terence Davies's Distant Voices, Still Lives (British Film Institute, 2006) and in 2007 edited a selection of John Clare for Faber's Poet-to-Poet series. As a broadcaster he has made many arts and documentary programmes for radio and television, and has written four radio dramas. He also works as a teacher, and lives in north Lancashire.
