Walter de la Mare - Icon Profile | Alexandria
Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) was an English poet, short story writer, and novelist whose haunting, dreamlike works explored the boundaries between reality and imagination, particularly through the lens of childhood perception and supernatural themes. Known affectionately as "Jack" to his intimates, de la Mare crafted a literary legacy that would profoundly influence fantasy literature and children's poetry throughout the 20th century.
Born in Charlton, Kent, during the Victorian era's twilight years, de la Mare's early life was shaped by the period's dueling fascinations with both scientific rationalism and spiritual mysticism. After leaving St. Paul's Cathedral Choir School at sixteen, he worked as a statistician at the Anglo-American Oil Company, an unlikely beginning for one of England's most imaginative writers. His first published work, "Songs of Childhood" (1902), appeared under the pseudonym Walter Ramal, marking the emergence of a distinctive voice that would later crystallize in such seminal works as "The Listeners" (1912) and "Peacock Pie" (1913).
De la Mare's literary corpus, spanning over fifty years, reveals a masterful integration of the commonplace and the uncanny. His poetry and prose consistently probe the liminal spaces between waking and dreaming, childhood and adulthood, the natural and supernatural. Works such as "Memoirs of a Midget" (1921) and "The Return" (1910) demonstrate his ability to transform ordinary scenarios into extraordinary explorations of consciousness and reality. His technical virtuosity in handling traditional forms while introducing modernist psychological insights earned him the Order of Merit in 1953, marking him as one of the few writers to achieve both popular and critical acclaim.
Today, de la Mare's influence resonates through contemporary fantasy literature and children's poetry, with his sophisticated treatment of supernatural themes and psychological complexity finding echoes in works ranging from young adult fiction to literary horror. His most famous poem, "The Listeners," continues to inspire debate about its meaning and remains a staple of literary education, while his children's verses have maintained their ability to enchant successive generations. In an age of technological acceleration, de la Mare's works pose an enduring question: where does the boundary lie between the real and the imagined, and how might the child's perspective offer unique insights into this eternal mystery?