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John Clare
Series: Critical Lives
Brief Description
Reclaims John Clare from myth through poetry, place, and personal voice. John Clare’s life has often been told by casting him in various parts – rural genius, thwarted lover, environmentalist, lunatic poet. This biography revisits those familiar stories with a fresh perspective, setting Clare’s own words...
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John Clare
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See moreReclaims John Clare from myth through poetry, place and personal voice.
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Description
Reclaims John Clare from myth through poetry, place, and personal voice.
John Clare’s life has often been told by casting him in various parts – rural genius, thwarted lover, environmentalist, lunatic poet. This biography revisits those familiar stories with a fresh perspective, setting Clare’s own words alongside a sharp reappraisal of his times. Drawing from his autobiographical writings, journals, letters, and poetry, it presents a rich, grounded portrait of the man and the places that shaped him.
Clare’s sense of identity, rooted in the land around him, was central to his voice as a poet. Through attentive readings of his verse, this book traces the creative and emotional arc of a life both ordinary and extraordinary. Clare emerges not as a tragic stereotype but as a deeply thoughtful writer confronting change with clarity and care.
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Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781836391982
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 01 June 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Reaktion Books
Illustration: 39 illustrations
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 130.0mm
Height: 200.0mm
Weight: 0g
Pages: 192
About the Author
Sarah Houghton-Walker is a fellow of Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge. She is a founder and codirector of the Centre for John Clare Studies. Her books include Wordsworth’s Poetry of Repetition.
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