John Masefield

James Bridges (Independent Scholar)

John Masefield was born in Ledbury in 1878. Following the deaths of his parents, he embarked at the age of thirteen on a brief career in the merchant navy. He sailed, in 1894, aboard a ship bound for Chile, but returned home after a breakdown. He went to sea again in 1895, this time arriving in the USA. After working at a variety of menial jobs in New York (including barman and factory hand), he returned to England in 1897. In 1903 he married Constance de la Cherois Crommelin. During this time, he read widely and began to write poetry.

Salt Water Ballads, his first collection, was published in 1902. Many pieces in this early collection – “The Tarry Buccaneer”, “A Night at Dago Tom's”, “A Ballad of John Silver”, “Spanish W

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First published 24 September 2003

Citation: Bridges, James. "John Masefield". The Literary Encyclopedia. 24 September 2003

[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2971, accessed 30 July 2010.]

Life, Works and Times

Dates:

1878 to 1967 (Life Span)
1898 to 1967 (Activity Span)

Places:

England (Birth)
England (Primary Activity)

Activities:

Novelist (Primary)
Poet (Primary)
Autobiographer (Other)
Biographer (Other)
Dramatist/ Playwright (Other)
Essayist (Other)
Historian / Chronicler (Other)
Political writer (Other)