Sea-Fever by Philip W Errington

Sea-Fever by Philip W Errington

John Masefield (1878-1967) is one of the great storytellers of English poetry, a spinner of yarns and ballads of tall ships and exotic seas, of the deep-rooted life of the rural England in which he grew up, and of the great narratives of Troy and Arthurian legend. Some included here - 'Sea-Fever' and 'Cargoes' - are among the best-loved poems in English; others are little known; a few are hitherto uncollected rarities. All share Masefield's love of the particular lives of seafarers and those who work the land, and his ability to draw the reader into their stories. This is a representative anthology of Masefield's poems, in chronological sequence spanning his long career. The editor provides a full introduction to Masefield's work.

'One of the great story-tellers of English poetry was John MasefieldWith consummate ease, he weaves yarns spun from the deep-roooted likfe of the rural England in which he grew up...yet, in the wink of an eye, can also draw from the classical well of Arthurian legend. Then there are the great narratives of Troy and the romances of the ancient world that so fascinate him. John Masefield was born in Ledbury, Herefordshire, in 1878, going to sea while still a teenager in order to complete his education. Taken ill en route to South America, he was classified as a Distressed British Sailor upon his arrival in Chile. It was there that he decided to become a writer "come what might". After a period of homeless vagrancy, bar and factory work, Masefield returned to England in 1897. His frienship with WB Yeats provided the vital spark of encouragement that would launch the young traveller into the literary world and eternal fame. This wide-ranging selection of his works, edited with an introduction by Philip W Errington, is only partly made up of ballads of tall ships and exotic seas, for there is also a considerable pastoral section that pays lyrical homage to his beloved Herefordshire countryside. But it is the salt spray that gives savour to these pages, as this late-Victorian poet views the world through the prisms of the British Empire. His was a world that still reverberated to the roar of broadsides, where gold doubloons glistened in the sunshine of the Spanish main...of tarry pirates, mainsails and poop decks, crows' nests and pivot guns. Masefield was obviously overwhelmed by the thought that he was sailing the same waters as Sir Francis Drake, "El Draco", scourge of the devilish Dons. This is a fine collection that completely evokes the spirit of one of Britain's best-loved poets. ' John Phillpott, Worcester Evening News.

John Masefield was born in Ledbury, Herefordshire, in 1878. He was orphaned at an early age and, after a brief period at the King's School, Warwick, was educated aboard the Liverpool school-ship 'Conway'. As an apprentice, Masefield sailed round Cape Horn in 1894; as a result of sickness, he was classified a Distressed British Sailor upon arrival in Chile. After convalescence in England he secured a new position in New York. Although he crossed the Atlantic, he never reported for duty. He later noted, "I was going to be a writer, come what might." After a period of homelessness and vagrancy, bar and factory work in America, Masefield returned to England in 1897. His first published poem appeared in a periodical in 1899. The friendship of W.B. Yeats provided encouragement, and in 1902 'Salt-Water Ballads' was published. A distinguished literary career followed, with work across a broad range of genres. Masefield was appointed poet laureate in 1930, and awarded the Order of Merit in 1935. He died in 1967; his ashes are buried in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781857547627
ISBN 10	1857547624
Title	Sea-Fever
Author	Philip W Errington
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Carcanet Press Ltd
Year published	2005-02-24
Number of pages	262
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.