Francis Thompson lived a life as dramatic as his poetry. His father was a doctor, and he came from a Catholic family. He was educated at Ushaw, but after failing to follow in his father’s footsteps as a doctor, Thompson moved to London and lived for three years as a destitute and homeless vagabond. He attempted to make money through bookselling, shoemaking, selling matches, and calling cabs. He was also a recipient of patronage from a wealthy couple. Upon writing and submitting a small poem for publication, Thompson’s literary career took off and he was able to leave the streets and an opium addiction that had wrecked his health.
Professional relationships, friends, and a period of time at Premonstratensian monastery inspired him to produce “Daisy” and the magnificent “Ode to the Setting Sun”. He made some impact on the literary world during his life, but his literary prowess was most fully recognized after his death. This collection contains his entire body of work, including pen and ink illustrations for The Hound of Heaven. This shining light of Christian intellect and non-traditional devotional fervor left a small and impactful collection of poems and prose. His relationship to the church is ever present in his spiritual and observational writings. Take a journey into the mind of a poet who was daily reminded of God’s pursuit of his soul.
