The Ballad of John Clare

by Hugh Lupton

This is a bitter-sweet tale which evokes both the splendour and the harshness in life in rural England at the beginning of the 19th century and deals with the events which would lead to tragedy for John Clare. It looks at his life when he was 17.

Genres: Historical, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2012

About the author

Hugh Lupton is a prominent figure in the tradition of oral storytelling.

Reviews

[Kevan Manwaring · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Clare is dear to my heart, having grown up in Northampton - where he had the misfortune of being incarcerated for over a quarter of a century (like me!). I took part in the bicentenary celebrations, back in 1992 - reading in the places he used to around town. Knowing a local writer (even one 'enclosed' in the Northampton Lunatic Hospital and Asylum) meant a great deal to me growing up. And so I embarked upon reading this book with what you could call a 'vested interest'. Having disclosed this - I was pleasantly surprised, and found myself enjoying Lupton's take on the Clare story, rattling through it at quite a pace. Of course, I should have been assured that I was in the hands of a master storyteller - although what works on the stage, doesn't always translate to the page, and Lupton is clearly an apprentice in the arena of novels (this being his first novel). Nevertheless, he does a good job. He clearly loves the language - being a poet - and he weaves in local dialect words, as well as Clare's own at appropriate moments. This gives the prose specificity, anchoring it in time and place - and the novel has an earthy quality to it: tactile and sensuous, yet unsentimental and unflinching - this is good honest storytelling with mud on its boots, like Clare's own poetry. And yet, like Clare's 'poesy', it has a sharp eye for the modest beauty of the hedgerow and the ditch. The narrative, set over an agricultural year (mirroring Clare's formative work, The Shepherd's Calendar, conveys the harsh realities of life tied to the land - the poverty, the claustrophobia, the provincialism and pettiness - the ghost of Hardy lurking in the background. And yet, this brief cross-section of Clare's life - however (apparently) formative, feels a little unambitious in scope. Perhaps Lupton decided to avoid the well-trodden path, depicting Clare's adoption and desertion by Society, and descent into madness. But by taking this road less travelled by, the author perhaps alienates those not familiar with Clare's story. I suppose only Clare enthusiasts would buy and read such a book so perhaps inevitably he'll be preaching to the converted. And yet, it feels like a missed chance. Some of Clare's most powerful work emerges from his time in Northampton's asylum. As with Edward Thomas and other War Poets - this confrontation with something beyond his comfort zone gives his writing the much needed edge, which lifts it from the solipsistic and bucolic. Clare's world is shattered - by the incursion of the Enclosures Act, decimating his Helpston polder and fragile peace of mind; as well as the loss of his 'sweetheart' Mary (triggering the deeper grief of the loss of his twin sister, perhaps). How real their liason was - who can say? Lupton certainly doesn't sit on the fence - deciding it was a classic case of first love broken heart syndrome: a loss of innocence which ejects him from his personal Eden. This speculation feels more apposite than the subplot involving a gypsy friend, Wisdom Boswell - whose plight seems to take over the plot unnecessarily. Certainly, it conveys the injustices often experienced back then - and continue to this day. Beneath the surface of this picaresque tale is possibly a critique of our own harsh times - of bankers' bail-outs and austerity measures. From the Enclosures - which drove folk from the land - to the Occupy Movement, we seem to have come full circle, so perhaps Clare's plight is a timely one to consider. And Lupton, as a man of the Fens, has the ears and the tongue to sing his ballad with sincerity, sensitivity and a throstle's warble.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, although it broke my heart knowing the life that John Clare lived. I love that Hugh Lupton didn't take an obvious path into the life of our Peasant Poet, instead choosing to follow him at the age of 17/18 as he negotiates the world of first love and injustice to the unlanded poor. The book is beautifully written and I love that it followed the old agricultural year of feasts and festivals. I learned loads! And the quiet, yet increasingly present, backdrop of the Enclosures is truly menacing and timely, as we continue to feel their effects today. Just a fabulous book.

[Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel, based loosely on a late teenage year of the poet John Clare is a splendid read. Can't say it's a happy book but it gives a kaleidoscope of the seasons and the effect it had on ordinary folk in a early 19th century England. In later years a sick John Clare confined to a Northampton asylum would remember his teenage sweetheart Mary; in the book we meet her.

[Brian Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gentle,lyrical, Hardyesque tale of a year in the young life of peasant poet John Clare set against the backdrop of the Enclosures.

[Angharad Wynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A joyous book to read. Incredibly well crafted and written by a master storyteller. Amazing to think that this is Hugh Lupton's first novel, I sincerely hope he writes more. As much as a story, it's a journey through John Clare's landscape and the seasons of his youth. Highly recommend it!

[Helene · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving book. Human's bliss and misfortune aligned beautifully with the land and the wheel of the year. I recommend it.

[Lionel Denny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugh Lupton’s The Ballad of John Clare is a wonderful, evocative window into a turning point in Clare's life. Setting the story in 1811 is incredibly deliberate because that was the absolute epicenter of the crisis for Clare and his village.

The Helpston Enclosure Act was passed in 1809, and by 1811, the physical reality of it was drastically reshaping the land. For 17 year old Clare, who spent his childhood wandering an open, fluid landscape, watching the fences go up, the ancient trees being cut down, and the old pathways blocked felt like the world was being put into a straightjacket.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book. If you like John Clare's poetry you will love it after reading this. Based in facts and autobiographical information gleaned from his poetry and writings, his world is brought to life in all its colour and tragedy. Beautifully written, it was like a love poem to the man and the end of a time in our history full of ritual and tradition. I wept when it ended.

[Christine Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. A tale Of which Thomas Hardy himself would not be ashamed.
More like this Mr Lupson please!

[Jeremy Jl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fictional and beautifully imagined account of John Clare's coming of age.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd probably go for 3.5 stars on this one. It's a strange little book, based only very, very loosely on the life of John Clare and mostly imagined. It had a certain charm to it, following a year in the young poet's life - marking the changes in farming during this period, country customs and festivals, courting and family life. It's quite literary, poetic writing and has an easy feel about it although there are some shock moments that stop it being twee.