Three men in a boat Level 1for Class 5

erome Klapka Jerome (1859-1927) was an English writer and humorist best known for the humorous travelogue Three Men in a Boat. He was born in Caldmore England where he is honoured in a display at Walsall Museum. He was brought up in Jerome and was the fourth child of Jerome Clapp.He had two sisters Paulina and Blandina and one brother Milton. Owing to bad investments in the local mining industry the family suffered poverty and debt collectors often visited an experience Jerome described vividly in his autobiography My Life and Times (1926). The young Jerome showed interest in politics and writing but the death of both his parents in 1872 when he was 13 years old forced him to quit his studies and find work to support himself. He was employed at the London and North Western Railway as coal collector. In 1877 inspired by his older sister Blandina’s love for the theatre Jerome decided to try his hand at acting but did not succeed. He tried to become a journalist writing essays satires and short stories but most of these were rejected. Over the next few years he was a school teacher a packer and a solicitor’s clerk. Finally in 1885 he had some success with On the Stage—and Off a humorous book whose publication opened the door for more plays and essays. Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow a collection of humorous essays followed in 1886. Three Men in a Boat published in 1889 became an instant success and has remained in print until now. In 1898 he wrote Three Men on the Bummel the sequel to Three Men in a Boat. The book was unable to capture the life force and historic roots of its predecessor and it enjoyed only a mild success. In 1902 he published the novel Paul Kelver which is widely regarded as autobiographical. His 1908 play The Passing of the Third Floor Back introduced a more somber and religious bent of his mind. This was a tremendous commercial success but was condemned by critics. In June 1927 at the age of 68 he suffered a paralytic stroke and passed away in Northampton England.