John Masefield

Abstract

John Masefield was born at Ledbury in Herefordshire in 1878. Orphaned at an early age, he was brought up by his aunt and uncle until he was old enough to be sent to the King’s School, Warwick. After he had attempted several escapes from an environment that he clearly found uncongenial, it was decided that he should finish his education aboard the merchant service training ship, HMS Conway. From 1891–95, he was a sailor, but his fascination with New York prompted him to leave his ship, and for the next two years he took several menial jobs, such as bartender and carpet factory worker, in the United States. Shortly after his return to England in 1897, he became involved with W.B. Yeats and J.M. Synge, and published his first book of poetry Sea Water Ballads in 1902. His devotion to the countryside of his childhood and his admiration for the Irish school of drama are both evident in his dramatic writing particularly in his best play The Tragedy of Nan, which is dedicated to Yeats.