Jack Clemo
Jack Clemo, born Reginald John Clemo on March 11, 1916, in Cornwall, England, was a notable poet and novelist who faced significant challenges in his life, including blindness and deafness that began in childhood. After the death of his father during World War I, Clemo and his mother experienced extreme poverty, deeply influencing his worldview and creative output. Despite his disabilities, he developed a passion for writing, contributing poems and letters to local newspapers from an early age. Clemo's literary career took off after a spiritual awakening in 1930, leading him to produce mystical and erotic works, including his acclaimed novel "Wilding Graft," published in 1948.
His poetry, particularly evident in collections like "The Clay Verge" (1951), often reflects the rugged Cornish landscape and themes of spiritual conflict. Clemo's life experiences also shaped his writing, with personal relationships and later travels to Italy enriching his poetic imagery. He married Ruth Peaty in 1968, an event that added new depth to his work. Clemo passed away in 1994, leaving behind a legacy recognized by critics, who hailed him as one of the best Christian poets of the twentieth century, further popularized by a 1980 BBC documentary titled "A Different Drummer."
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Jack Clemo
Poet
- Born: March 11, 1916
- Birthplace: Cornwall, England
- Died: July 25, 1994
- Place of death: Weymouth, England
Biography
Reginald John Clemo, later known as Jack, was born to Reginald and Eveline Clemo on March 11, 1916, in Cornwall, England. His mother was the daughter of a preacher and his father a reportedly wild young man. Called to service during World War I, Reginald Clemo was killed by enemy action when his son was less than two years old. The death pushed Clemo and his mother into extreme poverty as they were forced to live on a widow’s paltry pension.
The landscape of Cornwall’s clay quarries as well as Eveline Clemo’s strict religious faith (and her derogation of her late husband) were important influences on young Jack. By the time he was five years old, Clemo developed periodic blindness and deafness, two disabilities that would plague him for the rest of his life. He was unable to attend school regularly because of his disabilities and frequent illnesses; during his time at home he read and wrote widely in spite of the difficulty these tasks caused him. He sent many poems and letters to local newspapers.
In 1930, he underwent a conversion experience, and began writing the mystical, erotic fiction, essays, and poetry for which he is best known. By 1938, he fully believed that God had both willed him to be a writer and to enter into a particular kind of spiritual marriage. After many years of work, he produced the novel Wilding Graft in 1945. The novel was published in 1948, met with favorable reviews, and was awarded the Atlantic Prize that year.
Clemo began suddenly writing poetry in 1945 after a mystical experience in the clay works of Cornwall. His first adult poem, “Christ in the Clay-Pit,” introduces the theme of the “invading gospel” and the paradox of rebellion and obedience found in much of his work. In addition, these poems draw heavily on the Cornish landscape for their tone and setting. The poems he wrote during these years were collected in The Clay Verge (1951). Clemo quickly followed his publications with the first volume of an autobiography that met with great success, Confession of a Rebel (1949).
During the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, the blind and deaf poet engaged in two disastrous love affairs. It was not until 1968 that Clemo married Ruth Peaty. The marriage lent new depth to his poetry.
A final important influence on his writing was a series of two trips he took to Italy near the end of his life. Although completely deaf and blind by this time, Clemo produced poetry that was alive with the imagery of the Italian landscape. Clemo passed away in 1994.
Clemo’s name reached a wider audience in 1980 when BBC aired the documentary A Different Drummer, based on his autobiography. His achievements as a poet and novelist are indicated by both the writing awards and for the interest he elicited among critics and readers alike. Critics have called him one of the best Christian poets of the twentieth century.