Jerome Klapka Jerome Life & Notable Works Literature
Jerome Klapka Jerome A BRIEF-BIOGRAPHY & CONTRIBUTIONS TO ENGLISH LITERATURE
P.Raja Rao M.A.(Eng), M.Phil, (Ph.D.), M.B.A.
www.rajaraop.wordpress.com
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Jerome Klapka Jerome Life & Notable Works Literature
INTRODUCTION
Jerome Klapka Jerome was a renowned English writer and humorist. He is best known for his
humorous and comic masterpiece "Three Men in a Boat", apart from his other notable works of
literature. He was born on 2nd May, 1859 in Caldmore, Walsall, England, and was raised amidst
poverty in London. His other works include the essay collections like the "Idle Thoughts of an
Idle Fellow" and "Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow", "Three Men on the Bummel"- which was
a sequel to Three Men in a Boat; and several other novels. Jerome died at the age of 68 on 14th
June, 1927.
Jerome K Jerome Childhood
Jerome Klapka Jerome was born on 2nd May, 1859 in Belsize House, Bradford Street, Walsall,
and Stradffordshire, England. He was born to father Jerome Clapp Jerome and mother
Marguerite Jones. While his father was a non-conformist lay preacher, ironmonger and architect
by profession and his mother was a daughter of a solicitor. Jerome was their fourth child. He had
two sisters, Paulina Deodata, Blandina Dominica and Brother Milton Melancthon. Jerome lost
his father at an early age of fourteen.
Initially Jerome was registered as Jerome Clap Jerome and later his name was amended as
Klapka. Jerome faced a lot of poverty due to bad investment in the local mining industry and
debt collectors were frequent visitors in their house. Jerome later described his experiences of
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Jerome Klapka Jerome Life & Notable Works Literature
childhood in his autobiography My Life and Times (1926).
Education and Early Life
Jerome lost his father at the age of 13 and he lost his mother at the age of 15. As a young boy
Jerome always wanted to join politics and become a member of parliament but due to the crisis
at home front, he was forced to quit his studies and find work to support his living. He studied at
the Philological School later known as Marylebone but he had to leave his school for doing a job
at the London and North Western Railway. Initially his work was all about collecting coal and he
continued doing it for four years.
Acting Career
Jerome’s acting career was inspired by his older sister Blandina's love for the theatre in 1877.
Jerome started his acting career under the stage name Harold Crichton. He joined a repertory
troupe and produced low budget plays with meagre resources. He produced such plays for three
years and at the age of 21, he decided to end his theatre career. He then tried his hands in
becoming a very a journalist, wrote essays, satires and short stories and over the next few years,
but most of these were rejected. Over the next few years he served as a school teacher, a packer,
and a solicitor's clerk. He tasted success as an actor finally in 1885, with his play On the Stage.
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Jerome Klapka Jerome Life & Notable Works Literature
Writing Career
His writing career started with his collection of humorous essays Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow
published in 1886. Jerome wrote his most famous work of literature Three Men in a Boat after
his return from his honeymoon on a boat in river Thames. Soon after it’s publication in 1889 it
went on to become an instant hit. The two main Protagonists in the novel were replaced by his
friends George Wingrave (George) and Carl Hentschel (Harris). He created a comic situation in
the book which was no way related or remotely connected to the history of the Thames region.
With its publication, the number of boats went upto fifty percent following its publication.
Within twenty years, the book sold over a million copies and was later adapted to movies, TV
and radio shows, stage plays, and even a musical. His style of writing influenced many humorists
and satirists in England. Later, he went on to write many plays, novels and essay but they were
not as successful as his book Three Men in a Boat. In 1892, he edited the Idler. In 1893, he
founded To-Day but had to stop its publication because of an ongoing financial crisis and a libel
suit against him. In 1898, during his short stay at Germany, he wrote Three Men on the Bummel
which was a sequel to Three Men in a Boat. In 1902, he published the novel, Paul Kelver, which
is considered an autobiographical and wrote the play The Passing of the Third Floor Back in
1908.Jerome published his autobiography, My Life and Timesin 1926. The Borough of Walsall
gave him the title Freeman of the Borough.
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World War I
Jerome volunteered to offer his service during World War I at 56 years of age. The British Army
considered him too old and rejected him on the basis of his age.
Marriage
Jerome got married to Georgina Elizabeth Henrietta Stanley Marris (Ettie), who was a divorcee.
She had a daughter from her previous marriage of five years named Elsie. Jerome’s step-
daughter died in 1921.
Death
Jerome spent most of his last days at his farmhouse in Ewelme near Wallingford. He died of
stroke and a cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 68 on 14th June, 1927 in Northampton, England.
He was cremated at Golders Green and his ashes were buried at St Mary's Church, Ewelme, and
Oxfordshire alongside his wife, sister and step-daughter.
His Novels
Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886)
Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) (1889)
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Diary of a Pilgrimage (and Six Essays) (1891) (full text)
Novel Notes (1893)
Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1898)
Three Men on the Bummel (aka Three Men on Wheels) (1900)
Paul Kelver, a novel (1902)
Tommy and Co (1904)
They and I (1909)
All Roads Lead to Calvary (1919)
Anthony John (1923)
The Love of Ulrich Nebendahl (1909)
The Philosopher's Joke (1909)
Collections
Told after Supper (1891)
John Ingerfield: And Other Stories (1894)
Sketches in Lavender, Blue and Green (1895)
The Observations of Henry (1901)
The Angel and the Author and Others (1904)
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American Wives and Others (1904)
The Passing of the Third Floor Back: And Other Stories (1907)
Malvina of Brittany (1916)
Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummel (1974)
After Supper Ghost Stories: And Other Tales (1985)
His Autobiography
My Life and Times (1926)
Anthologies
Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror 1st Series (1928)
A Century of Humour (1934)
The Mammoth Book of Thrillers, Ghosts and Mysteries (1936)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1957)
Famous Monster Tales (1967)
The 5th Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories (1969)
The Rivals of Frankenstein (1975)
The 17th Fontana Book of Great Ghost Stories (1981)
Stories in the Dark (1984)
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Gaslit Nightmares (1988)
Horror Stories (1988)
100 Tiny Tales of Terror (1996)
Knights of Madness: Further Comic Tales of Fantasy (1998)
100 Hilarious Little Howlers (1999)
Short Stories
The Haunted Mill (1891)
The New Utopia (1891)
The Dancing Partner (1893)
Evergreens
Christmas Eve in the Blue Chamber
Silhouettes
The Skeleton
The Snake
The Woman of the Saeter
His Plays
The Maister of Wood Barrow: play in three acts (1890)
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The Night of 14 Feb (1899) : a play in nine scenes
Miss Hobbs: a comedy in four acts (1902) - starring Evelyn Millard
Fanny and the Servant Problem, a quite possible play in four acts (1909)
The Master of Mrs. Chilvers: an improbable comedy, imagined by Jerome K. Jerome (1911)
The Soul of Nicholas Snyders: A Mystery Play In Three Acts (1925)
The Celebrity: a play in three acts (1926)
Robina's Web ("The Dovecote", or "The grey feather"): a farce i
The Passing of the Third Floor Back (1908)
Jerome K. Jerome Timeline:
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Jerome Klapka Jerome Life & Notable Works Literature
1859- He was born on 2nd May, Walsall, Staffordshire, England
1885- He did the play On the Stage
1886- He published his humorous essays Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow
1888- He got married to divorcee Georgina Elizabeth Henrietta Stanley Marris
1889- He published his famous work of literature Three Men in a Boat
1892- He edited the Idler
1893- He founded To-Day
1898- He published sequel Three Men on the Bummel
1902- He published the novel, Paul Kelver
1908- He wrote the play The Passing of the Third Floor Back
1926- Published his autobiography, My Life and Times
1927- He died at the age of 68 on 14th June, in Northampton, England
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