John Clare (1793-1864) holds a unique position in our literary culture as the greatest poet of English rural life, and a figure to whom other writers and poets are strongly drawn. Spanning three decades, this collection of Ronald Blythe's work (writer and former president of the John Clare Society) on John Clare offers a unique contribution to the study of Clare by examining the qualities that have drawn writers and readers to Clare, and considering Clare’s place in the changing rural world.

Detailed Description

John Clare (1793-1864) holds a unique position in our literary culture as the greatest poet of English rural life, and a figure to whom other writers and poets are strongly drawn. Ronald Blythe’s love of Clare began when a friend introduced him to Sidney Keyes’s 1941 verse-tribute to Clare, and blossomed when he was invited to be the President of the newly-formed John Clare Society in 1982. His many talks and presidential addresses on Clare are gathered together for the first time here. Written over the last three decades, they offer a unique contribution to the study of Clare and his tradition, examining the qualities that have drawn writers and readers to Clare, and considering Clare’s place in the changing rural world, a world about which Ronald Blythe has himself often written with distinction.

About the Author

Ronald Blythe was the President of the John Clare Society, and was one of our most eminent rural writers. His famous account of a Suffolk village, Akenfield, has been re-issued by Penguin as a Twentieth Century Classic.

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