National Clerihew Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Poems

National Clerihew Day commemorates the birth and achievements of Edmund Clerihew Bentley, who is credited with inventing this poetic form and popularising it through his poetry collections.

We adore humorous poetry, and what better day to celebrate it than on July 10, National Clerihew Day, which commemorates the birthday of Edmund Clerihew Bentley, the creator of this poetic form? The primary characteristics of a clerihew are its four-line length and AABB rhyme scheme. It focuses on a significant fact about a particular subject, such as a person or non-human entity. It is consistently humorous, which amuses its readers.

The background of National Clerihew Day

National Clerihew Day commemorates the birth and achievements of Edmund Clerihew Bentley, who is credited with inventing this poetic form and popularising it through his poetry collections. Although E.C. Bentley was best known for his novels, it was his poetry that established him as a literary legend.

Bentley was born in London and began his career as a journalist before transitioning to poetry. His first publication was titled “Biography for Beginners” and it introduced readers to the clerihew verse form. When he invented the clerihew, he was only 16 years old, which is quite remarkable. He went on to publish two more poetry collections, cementing his status as the greatest humorous poet of his period.

His poems continued to be published both in print and as audio recordings after his demise in 1956. The clerihew became immensely popular in the United States during the 20th century as prominent poets of the time attempted to write similarly humorous poetry.

Today, the clerihew is recognised as a specific poetic form with its own conventions, including four lines of verse, an AABB rhyme scheme, the subject’s name in the first line, and humorous content. On this day, both amateur and professional poets enjoy composing and reading humorous clerihews as well as poems written by other poets.

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