Austin Clarke (Irish: AibhistÃn Ã" Cléirigh[1]) (9 May 1896 â€" 19
March 1974), born in 83 Manor Street, Stoneybatter, Dublin, was one of
the leading Irish poets of the generation after W. B. Yeats. He also
wrote plays, novels and memoirs. Clarke's main contribution to Irish
poetry was the rigour with which he used technical means borrowed from
classical Irish language poetry when writing in English.Effectively,
this meant writing English verse based not so much on metre as on
complex patterns of assonance, consonance, and half rhyme. Describing
his technique to Robert Frost, Clarke said "I load myself down with
chains and try to wriggle free."Clarke's early poetry clearly shows
the influence of Yeats. His first book, The Vengeance of Fionn, was a
long narrative poem retelling an Ossianic legend. It met with critical
acclaim and, unusually for a first book of poetry, went to a second
edition. Between this and the 1938 volume Night and Morning, Clarke
published a number of collections, all of which, to one extent or
another, can be seen as being written in the shadow of Yeats. There
was, however, one significant difference; unlike the older poet,
Clarke was a Catholic, and themes of guilt and repentance run through
this early work.
March 1974), born in 83 Manor Street, Stoneybatter, Dublin, was one of
the leading Irish poets of the generation after W. B. Yeats. He also
wrote plays, novels and memoirs. Clarke's main contribution to Irish
poetry was the rigour with which he used technical means borrowed from
classical Irish language poetry when writing in English.Effectively,
this meant writing English verse based not so much on metre as on
complex patterns of assonance, consonance, and half rhyme. Describing
his technique to Robert Frost, Clarke said "I load myself down with
chains and try to wriggle free."Clarke's early poetry clearly shows
the influence of Yeats. His first book, The Vengeance of Fionn, was a
long narrative poem retelling an Ossianic legend. It met with critical
acclaim and, unusually for a first book of poetry, went to a second
edition. Between this and the 1938 volume Night and Morning, Clarke
published a number of collections, all of which, to one extent or
another, can be seen as being written in the shadow of Yeats. There
was, however, one significant difference; unlike the older poet,
Clarke was a Catholic, and themes of guilt and repentance run through
this early work.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.