Born on October 31, 1795, John Keats emerged as a prominent English poet during the second generation of Romantic poets. Despite being the son of a livery-stable manager, Keats had limited access to formal education. Tragically, his poetic brilliance graced the literary world for only a brief period of fewer than four years before he succumbed to tuberculosis at the tender age of 25. The untimely loss of his father in 1804 left a profound impact on him, compounded by his mother’s swift remarriage soon after. You can discover the entire John Keats biography within this article.

John Keats Biography

At the age of 19 in 1814, Keats wrote his first poem titled “An Imitation of Spenser.” Throughout his career, he published a total of fifty-four poems, which were compiled into three slender volumes and featured in several magazines. It was during this period that Keats crossed paths with Leigh Hunt, a prominent editor at the Examiner. Hunt played a significant role in Keats’ journey as he published two of his sonnets, namely “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer” and “O Solitude.”

John Keats Picture

John Keats Childhood Picture

John Keats Young Age Picture

John Keats Wife (Fanny)

Family

Keats had three younger siblings: George, Thomas, and Frances Mary, affectionately called Fanny. Unfortunately, their father passed away in 1804, and their mother quickly remarried. The second husband sold off their stables, leaving the four Keats children homeless. Tragically, when Keats was only 14 years old, his mother succumbed to tuberculosis. Following her death, Richard Abbey and Jon Sandell were appointed as the guardians for the Keats children.

Age

He was born on October 31, 1795, on the northern outskirts of London. When he was 25 years old he died.

Education

He completed his medical education and became a certified apothecary at London Hospital in 1816.

Career

Keats found a supportive network of friends, including Leigh Hunt and Percy Bysshe Shelley, who not only appreciated his poetry but also stood by him during challenging times. One of Keats’ notable early poems, showcasing his maturing talent, is the sonnet titled “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer” written in 1816. Throughout his body of work, Keats explored themes of love, beauty, joy, nature, music, and the transient nature of human existence. It was through Clarke’s introduction that Keats became acquainted with Leigh Hunt, a journalist and contemporary poet, and formed friendships within Hunt’s literary circle. In March 1817, Keats published his first collections of poems. That same year, he briefly left London and embarked on a journey to the Isle of Wight and Canterbury. It was during this period that he began working on his first lengthy poem, “Endymion.”

Net Worth

His net worth is $1 million. He worked in his youth as an apprentice to a surgeon and apothecary.

Poem List

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