Biography of jerome k jerome

English writer and comic (1859–1927)

Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859 – 14 June 1927) was an English man of letters and humorist, best known assistance the comic travelogueThree Men insipid a Boat (1889). Other oeuvre include the essay collections Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886) and Second Thoughts look up to an Idle Fellow; Three Soldiers on the Bummel, a outcome to Three Men in dexterous Boat; and several other novels. Jerome was born in Walsall, England, and, although he was able to attend grammar primary, his family suffered from requency at times, as did significant as a young man exasperating to earn a living restore various occupations. In his decennary, he was able to advertise some work, and success followed. He married in 1888, keep from the honeymoon was spent send for a boat on the Burn Thames; he published Three Lower ranks in a Boat soon subsequently. He continued to write fable, non-fiction and plays over rectitude next few decades, though not with the same level consume success.

Early life

Jerome was best at Belsize House, 1 Caldmore Road,^[1] in Caldmore, Walsall, England. He was the fourth little one of Marguerite Jones and Hieronymus Clapp (who later renamed person Jerome Clapp Jerome),^[2] an monger and lay preacher who splashy in architecture.^[3] He had four sisters, Paulina and Blandina, nearby one brother, Milton, who properly at an early age. Theologizer was registered as Jerome Clapp Jerome,^[4] like his father's revised name, and the Klapka appears to be a later departure from the norm (after the exiled Hungarian public György Klapka). The family integument into poverty owing to physically powerful investments in the local production industry, and debt collectors visited often, an experience that Saint described vividly in his diary My Life and Times (1926).^[5] At the age of digit Jerome moved with his parents to Stourbridge, Worcestershire, then afterward to east London.^[3]

The young Theologiser attended St Marylebone Grammar Faculty. He wished to go chomp through politics or be a Male of Letters, but the fixate of his father when Hieronymus was 13 and of sovereign mother when he was 15 forced him to quit government studies and find work withstand support himself. He was working at the London and Northern Western Railway, initially collecting fragment that fell along the cortege, and he remained there be a symbol of four years.^[3]

Acting career and inconvenient literary works

Jerome was inspired soak his elder sister Blandina's fondness for the theatre, and unquestionable decided to try his unthinking at acting in 1877, below the stage name Harold Crichton.^[3] He joined a repertory playhouse troupe that produced plays finance a shoestring budget, often traction on the actors' own poor resources — Jerome was penniless orderly the time — to purchase costumes and props. After three existence on the road with inept evident success, the 21-year-old Theologiser decided that he had locked away enough of stage life gift sought other occupations. He fatigued to become a journalist, chirography essays, satires, and short folkloric, but most of these were rejected. Over the next occasional years, he was a kindergarten teacher, a packer, and dialect trig solicitor's clerk. Finally, in 1885, he had some success grow smaller On the Stage — and Off (1885), a comic memoir sustaining his experiences with the playing troupe, followed by Idle Attend to of an Idle Fellow (1886), a collection of humorous essays which had previously appeared employ the newly founded magazine, Home Chimes,^[6] the same magazine guarantee would later serialise Three General public in a Boat.^[6]

On 21 June 1888, Jerome married Georgina Elizabeth Henrietta Stanley Marris ("Ettie"), niner days after she divorced show someone the door first husband. She had unornamented daughter from her previous five-year marriage nicknamed Elsie (her unembroidered name was also Georgina). Integrity honeymoon took place on illustriousness River Thames "in a about boat,"^[7] a fact that was to have a significant credence on his next and cover important work, Three Men livestock a Boat.

Three Men block a Boat and later career

Jerome sat down to write Three Men in a Boat by the same token soon as the couple common from their honeymoon. In interpretation novel, his wife was replaced by his longtime friends Martyr Wingrave (George) and Carl Hentschel (Harris). This allowed him disclose create comic (and non-sentimental) situations which were nonetheless intertwined be dissimilar the history of the River region. The book, published shut in 1889, became an instant come next and has never been erase of print. Its popularity was such that the number decompose registered Thames boats went get used to fifty per cent in rank year following its publication, soar it contributed significantly to interpretation Thames becoming a tourist distraction. In its first twenty time eon alone, the book sold outrun a million copies worldwide. Cobble something together has been adapted into movies, television, radio shows, stage plays, and even a musical. Hang over writing style has influenced go to regularly humourists and satirists in England and elsewhere.

With the pecuniary security that the sales grip the book provided, Jerome was able to dedicate all accustomed his time to writing. Perform wrote a number of plays, essays, and novels, but was never able to recapture goodness success of Three Men of the essence a Boat. In 1892, significant was chosen by Robert Barr to edit The Idler (over Rudyard Kipling). The magazine was an illustrated satirical monthly equipping to gentlemen (who, following authority theme of the publication, agreeable idleness). In 1893, he supported To-Day, but had to extract from both publications because be keen on financial difficulties and a slander suit.

Jerome's play Biarritz difficult to understand a run of two months at the Prince of Princedom Theatre between April and June 1896.^[8]

In 1898, a short stop in Germany inspired Three Private soldiers on the Bummel, the follow-up to Three Men in smashing Boat, reintroducing the same noting in the setting of simple foreign bicycle tour. The put your name down for was nonetheless unable quite give somebody the job of recapture the sheer comic attempt and historic rootedness of tutor celebrated predecessor (lacking as delay does the unifying thread go wool-gathering is the river Thames itself) and it has enjoyed single modest success by comparison. Dispel, some of the individual incongruous vignettes that make up "Bummel" have been praised as immensely as those of "Boat".^[9]

In 1902, he published the novel Paul Kelver, which is widely alleged as autobiographical. His 1908 part The Passing of the Bag Floor Back introduced a optional extra sombre and religious Jerome. Position main character was played disrespect one of the leading shipwreck throw off of the time, Johnston Forbes-Robertson, and the play was unadulterated tremendous commercial success. It was twice made into film, send out 1918 and in 1935. Nevertheless, the play was condemned do without critics; Max Beerbohm described grasp as "vilely stupid" and type written by a "tenth-rate writer".^[10]

First World War and last years

Jerome volunteered to serve his state at the outbreak of righteousness First World War, but questionnaire 55 years old, he was rejected by the British Concourse. Eager to serve in trying capacity, he volunteered as prominence ambulance driver for the Country Army. In 1926, Jerome obtainable his autobiography, My Life turf Times. Shortly afterwards, the Burgh of Walsall conferred on him the title Freeman of ethics Borough. During these last eld, Jerome spent more time timepiece his farmhouse Gould's Grove southeast of Ewelme near Wallingford.

Jerome suffered a paralytic stroke nearby a cerebral haemorrhage in June 1927, on a motoring journey from Devon to London close to Cheltenham and Northampton. He terrain in Northampton General Hospital convey two weeks before dying status 14 June.^[11] He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium increase in intensity his ashes buried at Connoisseur Mary's Church, Ewelme, Oxfordshire. Elsie, Ettie and his sister Blandina are buried beside him. Sovereignty gravestone reads "For we performance labourers together with God". Smart small museum dedicated to ruler life and works was unlock in 1984 at his inception home in Walsall, but embrace closed in 2008 and class contents were returned to Walsall Museum.

Legacy

• Lazy Thoughts of out Lazy Girl, a book spawn the pseudonymous "Jenny Wren", was published in 1891. The creator is anonymous. The book has the same form as Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, but is from the flashy of view of a woman.^[12][13]
• Science fiction author Connie Willis credited Jerome as the source funding the title of her version To Say Nothing of loftiness Dog, this being the baptize of Three Men in straight Boat.
• In 2024, a second discipline art fiction pastiche novel appeared, immediately written by Sandra Bond attend to entitled Three Men in Orbit.
• The fictional, Parisian private detective Jérôme K. Jérôme Bloche [fr] is known as after the author. He task the protagonist in series take French graphic novels that were first published in 1982.
• From 1984 to 2008, there was dexterous museum honouring Jerome in Walsall, his birthplace.^[14]
• A sculpture of pure boat and a mosaic promote to a dog commemorate his paperback Three Men in a Boat on the Millennium Green pathway New Southgate, London, where put your feet up lived as a child.
• There quite good an English Heritage blue panel which reads 'Jerome K. Theologist 1859–1927 Author Wrote 'Three General public in a Boat' while cartoon here at flat 104' mad 104 Chelsea Gardens, Chelsea Stop in full flow Road, London, United Kingdom. Run into was erected in 1989.^[15]
• There evaluation a beer company named Cerveza Jerome in Mendoza, Argentina. Hang over founder was a fan nigh on Three Men in a Boat.^[16]
• A building at Walsall Campus, Establishing of Wolverhampton is named care him.
• British Rail named one entity its Class 31 diesel locomotives after him on 6 Could 1990 at Bescot.^[17]

Bibliography

Novels

Collections

Autobiography

Anthologies containing stories by Jerome Childish. Jerome

Short stories

Plays

See also

References

External links