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William Topaz McGonagall

1825-1902

This page is about a favourite poet of Chris'. He will be writing here in the first person.

The Bard of the Lead Balloon

Gentle readers. Prepare yourself. William McGonagall is well known for being, possibly, the worst poet of the English language. That his poetry is so bad to have unwittingly backstepped into genius and perpetuity is quite extraordinary. As Colin Walker notes:

McGonagall's poetry is undeniably dreadful, always sinking to new depths just when you think you have hit rock bottom. It is this inimitable multi-faceted awfulness which makes his work memorably funny. In the end, what provides the secret of McGonagall's durability is the fact that no-one has written or could write as badly "if they tried".

I am indebted to the English teacher of my HSC year (1986), Neil Whitfield, for exposing myself and my classmates to the genius of McGonagall. Here I will take the opportunity of sharing some of my favourites with you.

Brief Biography

McGonagall was born in Edinburgh in 1825, the son of an immigrant Irish cotton weaver who eventually joined his father in this trade. He did not commence poetry until the age of 52 in 1877 when he was seized by the calling to become a poet:

"... all of a sudden my body got inflamed, and instantly I was seized with a strong desire to write poetry, so strong, in fact, that in my imagination I heard a voice crying in my ears 'Write! Write!' "

From then on he travelled Scotland from his home town of Dundee giving recitations and selling his poetry. He was popular with the student fraternity of Edinburgh who, unbeknownst to him, delighted in setting him as the butt of pranks and jokes. In his home town of Dundee the local dignitaries were so embarassed to have him associated with their town, that they asked him to leave. His most famous collection of verses was published in 1890 - "Poetic Gems". He died in September 1902 and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard.

Poetry Samples

Click on the links below see the poems

Over time I hope to be adding more of McGonagall's gems here, so drop by from time to time to sample the new offerings.

cheers, Chris

Created by Chris Jones. October 2003