May 12, 2014
Perhaps most famous for his penning the British classic ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’, it was author, poet and illustrator Edward Lear who first popularised the recognisable cadence of the ‘Limerick’ and the joy of nonsense verse. International Limerick Day 12th May.
The penultimate child of 21, after a difficult early life being brought up by an elder sister and enduring the ‘shame’ of suffering from epilepsy, Lear took to drawing in his notebook in return for ‘bread and cheese’ – a necessity and hobby which grew into a talent so great that he was soon employed as ornithological draughtsman at ZSL. In later life he went on to write some of the finest nonsense to have ever been heard inspiring, amongst others, modern day gobbledigook king Spike Milligan.
Here’s the final version (after a lot of laughter and some awful drafts) of our Noted in Style limerick, in tribute to dear Mr Lear…
There once was a girl with a book
Of notice no-one ever took
But add a design
To make her book fine
And all of the people would look!
