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bit to narrative of his life
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During this time, he became addicted to [[opium]], which he first had taken as medicine for ill health. Thompson started living on the streets of [[Charing Cross]] and sleeping by the [[River Thames]], with the homeless and other addicts. He was turned down from [[Oxford University]], not because he was unqualified, but because of his [[drug addiction]].
During this time, he became addicted to [[opium]], which he first had taken as medicine for ill health. Thompson started living on the streets of [[Charing Cross]] and sleeping by the [[River Thames]], with the homeless and other addicts. He was turned down from [[Oxford University]], not because he was unqualified, but because of his [[drug addiction]].


Thompson attempted [[suicide]] in his nadir of despair, but was saved from completing the action through a vision which he believed to be that of a youthful poet [[Thomas Chatterton]],{{fact}} who had committed suicide almost a century earlier. Shortly afterwards, a [[prostitute]] - whose identity Thompson never revealed - befriended him, gave him lodgings and shared her income with him. Thompson was later to describe her in his poetry as his saviour. She soon disappeared, however, never to return, in his estimation because she feared she would taint his growing reputation. In 1888, he had been 'discovered' after sending his poetry to the magazine ''Merrie England''. He had been sought out by the editors of 'Merrie England', [[Wilfrid Meynell|Wilfrid]] and [[Alice Meynell]]. Recognizing the value of his work, the couple gave him a home and arranged for publication of his first book ''Poems'' in 1893. The book attracted the attention of sympathetic critics in the ''St James's Gazette'' and other newspapers, and [[Coventry Patmore]] wrote a eulogistic notice in the ''Fortnightly Review'' of January 1894.
Thompson attempted [[suicide]] in his nadir of despair, but was saved from completing the action through a vision which he believed to be that of a youthful poet [[Thomas Chatterton]],{{fact}} who had committed suicide almost a century earlier. Shortly afterwards, a [[prostitute]] - whose identity Thompson never revealed - befriended him, gave him lodgings and shared her income with him. Thompson was later to describe her in his poetry as his saviour. She soon disappeared, however, never to return, in his estimation because she feared she would taint his growing reputation. In 1888, he had been 'discovered' after sending his poetry to the magazine ''Merrie England''. He had been sought out by the editors of 'Merrie England', [[Wilfrid Meynell|Wilfrid]] and [[Alice Meynell]]. Recognizing the value of his work, the couple gave him a home and arranged for publication of his first book ''Poems'' in 1893. The book attracted the attention of sympathetic critics in the ''St James's Gazette'' and other newspapers, and [[Coventry Patmore]] wrote a eulogistic notice in the ''Fortnightly Review'' of January 1894. And concerned about his opium addiction, which was at its height following his years on the streets, they sent him to [[Our Lady of England Priory]], Storrington.


Thompson subsequently lived as an invalid in [[Wales]] and at [[Storrington]]. A lifetime of extreme poverty, ill-health, and an [[Substance use disorder|addiction]] to opium took a heavy toll on Thompson, even though he found success in his last years. He would eventually die from [[tuberculosis]] at the age of 48.
Thompson subsequently lived as an invalid in [[Wales]] and at [[Storrington]]. A lifetime of extreme poverty, ill-health, and an [[Substance use disorder|addiction]] to opium took a heavy toll on Thompson, even though he found success in his last years. He would eventually die from [[tuberculosis]] at the age of 48.

Revision as of 17:56, 26 June 2014

For others with this name, see Francis Thompson (disambiguation).
Francis Thompson
Born(1859-12-16)16 December 1859
Preston, Lancashire
Died13 November 1907(1907-11-13) (aged 47)
NationalityEnglish

Francis Thompson (16 December 1859 – 13 November 1907) was an English poet and ascetic. After attending college, he moved to London to become a writer, but, in menial work, became addicted to opium, and was a street vagrant for years. A married couple read his poetry and rescued him, publishing his first book Poems in 1893. Thompson lived as an unbalanced invalid in Wales and at Storrington, but wrote three books of poetry, with other works and essays, before dying of tuberculosis in 1907.

Life and work

Born in Preston, Lancashire, his father Charles was a doctor who had converted to Roman Catholicism, following his brother Edward Healy Thompson, a friend of Cardinal Manning.[1] Thompson was educated at Ushaw College, near Durham, and then studied medicine at Owens College, now the University of Manchester. He took no real interest in his studies and never practised as a doctor, moving instead to London in 1885, to try to become a writer. Here he was reduced to selling matches and newspapers for a living.

During this time, he became addicted to opium, which he first had taken as medicine for ill health. Thompson started living on the streets of Charing Cross and sleeping by the River Thames, with the homeless and other addicts. He was turned down from Oxford University, not because he was unqualified, but because of his drug addiction.

Thompson attempted suicide in his nadir of despair, but was saved from completing the action through a vision which he believed to be that of a youthful poet Thomas Chatterton,[citation needed] who had committed suicide almost a century earlier. Shortly afterwards, a prostitute - whose identity Thompson never revealed - befriended him, gave him lodgings and shared her income with him. Thompson was later to describe her in his poetry as his saviour. She soon disappeared, however, never to return, in his estimation because she feared she would taint his growing reputation. In 1888, he had been 'discovered' after sending his poetry to the magazine Merrie England. He had been sought out by the editors of 'Merrie England', Wilfrid and Alice Meynell. Recognizing the value of his work, the couple gave him a home and arranged for publication of his first book Poems in 1893. The book attracted the attention of sympathetic critics in the St James's Gazette and other newspapers, and Coventry Patmore wrote a eulogistic notice in the Fortnightly Review of January 1894. And concerned about his opium addiction, which was at its height following his years on the streets, they sent him to Our Lady of England Priory, Storrington.

Thompson subsequently lived as an invalid in Wales and at Storrington. A lifetime of extreme poverty, ill-health, and an addiction to opium took a heavy toll on Thompson, even though he found success in his last years. He would eventually die from tuberculosis at the age of 48.

Style and influence

His most famous poem The Hound of Heaven, [2] describes the pursuit of the human soul by God. This poem is the source of the phrase "with all deliberate speed," used by the Supreme Court in Brown II, the remedy phase of the famous decision on school desegregation.[3] A phrase in his The Kingdom of God [4] is the source of the title of Han Suyin's novel and the movie Love is a Many-Splendored Thing. In addition, Thompson wrote the most famous cricket poem, the nostalgic At Lord's. He also wrote Sister Songs (1895), New Poems (1897), and a posthumously published essay, "Shelley" (1909). He wrote a treatise On Health and Holiness, dealing with the ascetic life, which was published in 1905.

G. K. Chesterton said shortly after his death that "with Francis Thompson we lost the greatest poetic energy since Browning."[5] His grave is in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery in London. Among Thompson's devotees was the young J.R.R. Tolkien, who purchased a volume of Thompson's works in 1913-1914, and later said that it was an important influence on his own writing.[6] The American novelist Madeleine L'Engle used a line from the poem "The Mistress of Vision" as the title of her last Vicki Austin novel, Troubling a Star. In 2011, Thompson's life was the subject of the stage play and film script 'HOUND' (Visions in the Life of the Poet Francis Thompson)by writer/director Chris Ward, which has been performed in various venues around London.

Home

The home in Ashton-under-Lyne where Thompson lived from 1864 to 1885 was marked with a blue plaque; however, in 2014 it collapsed.[7]

Notes

  1. ^ Thomson, John (1912). Francis Thompson, the Preston-Born Poet, with Notes on Some of His Works. Read Books. ISBN 978-1-4086-6531-2.
  2. ^ The Hound of Heaven at ElCore.net
  3. ^ Jim Chen, Poetic Justice, 29 Cardozo Law Review (2007)
  4. ^ The Kingdom of God at Poets' Corner
  5. ^ G. K. Chesterton, A Dead Poet.
  6. ^ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Book of Lost Tales, Part One, p. 29n. Edited by Christopher Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1984.
  7. ^ Dramatic video shows moment dangerous building collapses in Ashton town centre, by John Scheerhout, in the Manchester Evening News; published 27 March 2014; retrieved 19 April 2014

References

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