I am sure that everyone reading this knows what a Limerick is and that Edward Lear was the 'creator' of them, but as I dug deeper into my research (ahem, good word that), I discovered so many interesting facts about him that I decided to share some with you!
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| Edward Lear (All Pics thanks to Google) |
Edward Lear was born on either the 12 or 13 May 1812 in Holloway, London. He was the penultimate child of the twenty one (gulp) that his mother produced, and was the youngest to survive. When he was only four years old, he and his oldest sister Ann, who was twenty one years older than him, moved out of the family home because of financial strain, and Ann carried on looking after him. He suffered from a number of ailments when he was young, including bronchitis and seizures, and he had bouts of depression throughout his life. He called these times 'the Morbids'.
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| His Book of Nonsense. |
Edward Lear was an artist, an illustrator, a musician, an author and a poet! But it was his nonsense rhymes people remember him for. In 1846 his 'Book of Nonsense' containing seventy two Limericks was published and I am sure that almost every Nursery Rhyme book contains at least one of his Limericks. Possibly this one... 'There was an old man with a beard.....'
He was an accomplished artist in three (serious) areas, namely as a draughtsman employed to illustrate birds and animals; for his coloured drawings used to illustrate his travel books; and for illustrating a few of Alfred Tennyson's poems.
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| A 'serious' owl. |
He never married, although he had two marriage proposals from the same woman who was 46 years his junior! He was not short of companions however, and his beloved cat Foss who died in 1886 was buried with some ceremony in his garden at Villa Tennyson, his home in San Remo.
Lear was known to introduce himself with a long pseudonym: "Mr Abebika kratoponoko Prizzikalo Kattefello Ablegorabalus Ableborinto phashyph" or "Chakonoton the Cozovex Dossi Fossi Sini Tomentilla Coronilla Polentilla Battledore & Shuttlecock Derry down Derry Dumps" Try saying that after a wine or two!
Lear died in 1888 of heart disease and is buried in San Remo. His birthplace area in London is now marked with a plaque at Bowman's Mews, Islington, and his bicentenary during 2012 was celebrated with a variety of events, exhibitions and lectures in venues across the world including an 'International Owl and Pussycat Day' on his birth anniversary.
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| His Owl and Pussycat! |
I bet you are all singing 'The owl and the pussycat went to sea, in a beautiful pea-green boat'
I think I must plant some Bong trees..............
Happy Limerick Day!
7 comments:
Very interesting all that, much I didn'tknow, nice bloke though as he loved his cat! I bet very few people could tell you who Lear was, the standard of general knowledge these days is shocking!
I must say, I was expecting a Limerick from you as a comment.... come on, I challenge you!!!
Right.... here is my effort.....
A man with the surname of Lear,
Declared when his birthday drew near,
"I don't know the date,
Am I early or late?
To be marking this day with a beer!'
The gauntlet has been thrown!!!!
A cat with the surname of Lear
Would often quietly appear
With a mouse or a bird
For his dear friend Edward
Who shrieked 'get that thing out of here'!
Love it!! We could publish our own Nonsense Book hey??
No clue about the rules, but something like this:
a family in a town at the sea
had a doggie called Alfie
he said that they always go away
but alone I will never stay
because with them they always take me.
A very good effort......Well done!
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