Edward Lear- - Master of Nonsense verse was a British poet and painter and was famous for his absurd humour. Edward Lear was born on May 12, 1812 and began his career as an artist early, at the age of 15. His father, a stockbroker of Danish origins, was sent to a debtor’s prison when Lear was thirteen and the young Lear was forced to earn a living.
Lear’s work became popular quickly and in 1832 he was employed by the London Zoological Society to do illustrations of birds. The Earl of Derby invited Lear to reside at his estate; Lear ended up staying on until 1836.
His first book of poems, A Book of Nonsense (1846) was composed for the grandchildren of the Derby household. Around 1836 Lear decided to devote himself exclusively to landscape painting (although he continued to compose light verse). Between 1837 and 1847 Lear travelled extensively throughout Europe and Asia.
After his return to England, Lear’s travel journals were published in several volumes as The Illustrated Travels of a Landscape Painter. Rather, Lear is best remembered for his humorous poems, such as The Owl and the Pussycat and as the creator of the form and meter of the modern limerick. Lear wrote many fantastical poems about imaginary creatures, such as The Dong with the Luminous Nose. His books of humourous verse also include Nonsense Songs (1871).