McDonald Clarke (1798 - 1842)

McDonald Clarke (1798 - 1842) - photo 1

McDonald Clarke

McDonald Clarke was an American outsider poet of the first half of the 19th century.

McDonald Clarke led an eccentric lifestyle and was nicknamed the Mad Poet of Broadway. He suffered periodic bouts of insanity, but was a regular on the New York poetry scene. Clarke was also known for sleeping in cemeteries and imitating Lord Byron. In his many poems, he covered topics ranging from social satire to sentimental romanticism.

Clarke was always virtually penniless and ended his life in a New York prison, where he was taken in another fit. The mad poet was immortalized by Walt Whitman, whom he greatly influenced as a mystical figure and outsider poet. The young Whitman was fascinated by both Clark's works and his eccentric life. Contemporaries describe Clarke as a mad child with aristocratic manners, meek and always happy, and all his oddities did no harm to those around him.

Date and place of birt:18 june 1798, Bath, USA
Date and place of death:5 march 1842, New York City, USA
Period of activity: XIX century
Specialization:Poet
Genre:Lyric poetry
Art style:Romanticism
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Creators Romanticism

George Cumberland II (XVIII century - 1823)
George Cumberland II
XVIII century - 1823
Lazare Bruandet (1755 - 1804)
Lazare Bruandet
1755 - 1804
Ludwig Hartmann (1835 - 1902)
Ludwig Hartmann
1835 - 1902
Carl August Sommer (1829 - 1894)
Carl August Sommer
1829 - 1894
Hyacinth Jochams (XIX century - ?)
Hyacinth Jochams
XIX century - ?
Gioacchino Rossini (1792 - 1868)
Gioacchino Rossini
1792 - 1868
Joseph Zelger (1812 - 1885)
Joseph Zelger
1812 - 1885
Richard Ayton (1786 - 1823)
Richard Ayton
1786 - 1823
Édouard Hostein (1804 - 1889)
Édouard Hostein
1804 - 1889
Nicholas Condy (1793 - 1857)
Nicholas Condy
1793 - 1857
Charles Van Zeller (1811 - 1837)
Charles Van Zeller
1811 - 1837
Johannes Franciscus Spöhler (1853 - 1923)
Johannes Franciscus Spöhler
1853 - 1923
Carl Wilhelm Müller (1839 - 1904)
Carl Wilhelm Müller
1839 - 1904
John Linnell (1792 - 1882)
John Linnell
1792 - 1882
Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Robert Burns
1759 - 1796
Karl Lehmann (1794 - 1876)
Karl Lehmann
1794 - 1876