Overview

A bitter-sweet tale which evokes both the splendour and the harshness of life in rural England at the beginning of the 19th century and deals with the events which would lead to tragedy for the peasant poet. It is novel which will have a universal appeal because of its strong and deeply moving story. For many readers The Ballad of John Clare will bring to mind the major novels of Thomas Hardy. What marks The Ballad of John Clare from other books about John Clare is that it deals with John Clare's early life, in fact when he is seventeen. The teenaged Clare is in tune with nature and the rural environment around his home in Helpston in the East of England. In the momentous twelve months covered by the novel we see him courting his childhood sweetheart, having his first sexual encounter with an older woman, labouring in the fields, playing his fiddle and singing at local entertainments, but above all we see him at one with the natural world. This is no rural idyll, however, as the enclosures are about to begin, taking the land held in common by communities and parcelling it out to the local landowners. Starvation and malnutrition are a constant presence in rural England. AUTHOR: For thirty years Hugh Lupton has been a central figure in the British storytelling revival. He tells myths, legends and folk-tales from many cultures but his particular passion is for the hidden layers of the English landscape and the stories and ballads that give voice to them. He has written several collections of folk-tales for children. The Ballad of John Clare is his first novel.

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9781915568465

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Reviews

'Another rite of passage is beautifully, and painfully, uncovered in The Ballad of John Clare which tells the story of twelve momentous months in the early life of the peasant poet, educated beyond his class and struggling to make sense of a world in which starvation and malnutrition are a constant presence owing to the land enclosures and rural reclamation by landowners in early 19th-century England. The poet courts his childhood sweetheart, labours in the fields, has his first sexual encounter and plays the fiddle with the village band in prose that is rich, appealing and perfectly pitched.' Natalie Young in The Best Debut Novels of 2010 in The Times 'In an afterword, Lupton humbly writes that guiding his reader towards Clare's own poetry is 'the true purpose of this story'. Through this vivid and accomplished novel, Lupton will achieve just that.' Tom Williams in The Literary Review 'In this beautifully crafted book, Lupton has focused on one pivotal year of Clare's life; one that foretells the misery and mental problems that would beset him in later years. But, this is not a book about just one man; it is about a society undergoing colossal upheavals from which the English countryside and its people have never recovered, when the Enclosures Act brings with it riches for some but abject poverty for many. Lupton has brought to bear his vast understanding of English folklore and culture, and produced an exceptional evocation of an England lost.' Kathy Stevenson in The Daily Mail 'The Ballad of John Clare imagines one year in the life of the young poet as the Enclosures threaten to change his world for ever. This first novel stands out for its strong storytelling, poignantly elaborated in the kind of language Clare himself used.' Jamie Crawford in The Guardian John Clare, the 'peasant poet' whose collections include The Shepherd's Calendar, was described by Akenfield author Ronald Blythe as 'England's most articulate village voice.' After years out of fashion, he is attracting a lot of attention again, people being drawn to the story of the troubled poet and horny-handed son of toil who escaped from an asylum in Essex and walked home to Northamptonshire (where he was certified insane and locked up). The Ballad of John Clare tells of 12 turbulent months in the life of the labourer. Not a rural idyll but a life of grinding poverty, after the Enclosure Act of 1801, for the poor of the parish.' Keith Richmond in Tribune

Author Information

Hugh Lupton makes his living as a storyteller and author of children's fiction. He tours schools and literary festivals and is often to be heard on the radio bringing the oral tradition of Britain to life. The Ballad of John Clare is very different from and darker and more powerful than his work for children.

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