Ellen Mary Clerke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ellen Mary Clerke
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| Born | 20 September 1840 Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland
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| Died | 2 March 1906 (aged 66) London
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Ellen Mary Clerke (born September 26, 1840 – died March 2, 1906) was a very talented Irish woman. She was a poet, someone who knew many languages (a linguist), and a journalist. Ellen was born in County Cork, Ireland, but she studied in Italy.
She wrote in both English and Italian. Her writings covered topics like space (astronomy), travel, and poetry. As a journalist, she wrote about European politics and current events. Her articles appeared in many magazines during the 1880s and 1890s. Ellen Clerke passed away in London in 1906.
Ellen Clerke's Early Life
Ellen Mary Clerke was the daughter of Catherine Mary Deasy and John William Clerke. Her mother's father was a rich brewer and shipbuilder. Her father worked as a bank manager in Skibbereen. Later, he worked for his brother-in-law, Richard Morgan Deasy, who was a High-Court judge.
Ellen and her younger sister, Agnes, were taught at home. Their father taught them a lot, especially classical languages and math. These subjects were a big part of their education.
When Ellen was 27, she moved to Florence, Italy with her sister. They went there to continue their studies. Ellen was very interested in Italian history and literature. She became very good at learning languages.
Ellen's Amazing Work
Ellen Clerke wrote a huge amount of material during her life. For twenty years, she wrote often for a newspaper called The Tablet. She also wrote many travel stories for the Dublin Review for twenty-five years.
She became one of the Dublin Review's most famous journalists. She wrote many articles about important events. These included Madagascar Past and Present (1884) and The Crisis in Rhodesia (1896). She also wrote about Maritime Canals (1885).
Ellen's younger sister, Agnes, often wrote for an astronomy magazine called Observatory. Agnes encouraged Ellen to write for the same magazine. Ellen Clerke was also a poet. She published several poetry works during her life.
The Flying Dutchmen was one of her most famous poems. It is now out of print. Ellen spent a long time living in Florence, Italy. Italian culture was a great source of ideas for her. This led her to write a book of translated poems, Fable and Song in Italy, in 1899.
She also wrote a novel called Flowers of Fire. This story was set in Naples. The novel was published close to Ellen's death. However, it was not very popular.
Ellen Mary Clerke also wrote many biographies for the Dictionary of National Biography. Some of her other works include:
- The Flying Dutchman and Other Poems (1881)
- Jupiter and His System (1892)
- Fable and Song in Italy (1899)
- Flowers of Fire (1902)
Later Years and Legacy
After living in Italy for ten years, Ellen's family moved to London in 1877. There, Ellen started working as a journalist for the Dublin Review. This was a Roman Catholic newspaper.
From 1885, Ellen also wrote about Italian and German politics. She became a permanent editor at the weekly Tablet. She held this important job until she passed away. Ellen Mary Clerke died from pneumonia at her home in South Kensington. She was 65 years old. She passed away on March 2, 1906, after a short illness.
