John Todhunter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Todhunter
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre |
|
John Todhunter (born December 30, 1839 – died October 25, 1916) was an Irish writer. He was known for his poetry and plays. He wrote many books of poems and several stage plays.
Contents
His Life Story
John Todhunter was born in Dublin, Ireland. He was the oldest son of Thomas Harvey Todhunter. His father was a merchant from a Quaker family.
John went to Quaker schools. These included Bootham School in York, England, and Mountmellick in Ireland. He first worked in his father's businesses in Dublin and London. Later, he went to Trinity College to study medicine.
While at Trinity College, John won several awards. He won the Vice-Chancellor's prize for English Verse three times. He also won a Gold Medal for an essay. He worked with a doctor named William Stokes during his studies. John earned his medical degree in 1867. He received his advanced medical degree in 1871. He also wrote for the college's literary magazine, Kottabos.
In 1870, John became a Professor of English Literature. He taught at Alexandra College in Dublin. Four years later, he left this job. He then traveled to Egypt and different places in Europe.
John married Dora L. Digby in 1879. In 1881, he moved to London for good. His home was in Bedford Park, Chiswick. This area was a small community for writers and artists. Famous writers like W.B. Yeats lived there too. John helped start the Irish Literary Society in London.
One of his plays was called The Black Cat. It was performed only once. This happened on December 8, 1893. It was put on by the Independent Theatre Society. This was a special club. They performed plays privately to avoid government censorship. Censorship meant the government could stop plays from being shown.
His Writings
John Todhunter wrote many different kinds of works. He published several collections of poetry. He also wrote plays for the stage.
Poetry Books
- Laurella and Other Poems (1876)
- Forest Songs & Other Poems (1881)
- The Banshee and Other Poems (1888)
- How Dreams Come True (1890)
- The Poison Flower (1891)
- The Legend of Stauffenberg (1890)
- The Irish Bardic Tales (1896)
- Sounds and Sweet Airs (1904)
- An Irish Love song
- The Black Knight
Plays for the Stage
- Alcestis: A Dramatic Poem (1878)
- The True Tragedy of Rienzi; Tribune of Rome (1881)
- Helena in Troas (1886)
- A Sicilian Idyll (1890)
- The Black Cat (1893)
- A Comedy of Sighs (1894)
Non-Fiction Books
- A study of Shelley (1879)
- The Life of Patrick Sarsfield, Earl of Lucan (1901)
Translations
- Heinrich Heine's Book of Songs (1907) (translated from German)
Many of John Todhunter's poems can be found online. Some of his works are being prepared for digital libraries by Distributed Proofreaders.
