Samuel Lover
Samuel Lover was an Irish artist born on February 24, 1797, in Dublin, who garnered recognition as a painter, musician, songwriter, and novelist. Initially expected to follow in his father's footsteps as a stockbroker, Lover's artistic inclinations led him to the countryside at age twelve, where he developed a deep appreciation for rural Irish life, which later influenced his literary work. By seventeen, he pursued a career in art, eventually establishing himself as a talented portraitist in London after gaining acclaim for his painting of the violinist Niccolò Paganini.
Lover's literary career took off with the publication of his first novel, *Rory O'More*, which achieved significant success. His most famous work, *Handy Andy*, was published in 1842 and solidified his position as a prominent figure in Irish literature. In addition to his writing, he engaged in public performances that showcased his songs and readings, enhancing his role as a cultural ambassador for the Irish. Despite facing personal loss, Lover remarried in 1852 and continued to impact perceptions of the Irish in England and America until his death on July 6, 1868, in St. Helier, Channel Islands.
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Subject Terms
Samuel Lover
Irish novelist, short-story writer, and poet
- Born: February 24, 1797
- Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
- Died: July 6, 1868
- Place of death: St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands
Biography
Although remembered today chiefly as a minor novelist, Samuel Lover in his own day had a reputation as a painter, musician, songwriter, and novelist. Born on February 24, 1797, he was the son of a Dublin stockbroker who hoped that his son would follow the family profession. At the age of twelve, Samuel was sent from Dublin into the countryside to improve his health, and it was then that Lover became acquainted with the rural Irish people who played such a prominent part in his fiction years later. At the age of fifteen he was taken from school to start an apprenticeship in his father’s business, which proved to be uncongenial to a person with Lover’s artistic interests and talent. At the age of seventeen, Samuel Lover struck out on his own and began to support himself as a painter, author, and song writer. By his thirtieth year he had established himself as a portraitist and married Lucy Berrel, daughter of a Dutch architect.
Samuel Lover’s first published book was a collection of tales and Irish legends that had previously appeared in various periodicals. A greater success, although in another realm of art, came in 1835, when Lover’s portrait of Niccolò Paganini was chosen by the Royal Academy for an exhibit in London. That success caused Lover to take up residence in London. His first novel, Rory O’More, was an immediate success, both as a novel and as a play. Trouble with his eyes caused Lover to leave painting for a career as a writer of fiction, and his best-known novel, Handy Andy, appeared in 1842. During the 1840’s Lover added to his income by giving public performances of readings from his writings and renditions of his own songs. Those entertainments and his novels gave him importance as a spokesman for the Irish. He is often credited with changing for the better the popular conception of the Irish in England and in America. His first wife having died, Lover was remarried in 1852 to Mary Jane Wandby. He died at St. Helier, on the isle of Jersey, Channel Islands, on July 6, 1868.
Bibliography
Ashdown, Paul G. “Samuel Lover.” In British Reform Writers, 1832-1914, edited by Gary Kelly. Vol. 190 in Dictionary of Literary Biography. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998.
Bernard, William Bayle. The Life of Samuel Lover. New York: Appleton, 1874.
Foster, John Wilson. Fictions of the Irish Literary Revival. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1987.
Foster, Sally E. “Irish Wrong: Samuel Lover and the Stage-Irishman.” Éire-Ireland 13 (1978): 34-44.
Haynsworth, Leslie. “Samuel Lover.” In British Short-Fiction Writers, 1800-1880, edited by John R. Greenfield. Vol. 159 in Dictionary of Literary Biography. Detroit: Gale Group, 1996.
Roche, James J. Introduction to The Works of Samuel Lover. Edited by James J. Roche. 6 vols. New York: Athenaeum, 1901.
Symington, Andrew James. Samuel Lover: A Biographical Sketch with Selections from His Writings and Correspondence. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1880.
Water, Maureen. “No Divarshin: Samuel Lover’s Handy Andy.” Éire-Ireland 14 (1979): 53-64.