William Ernest Henley : Poet as a Patient
Author : Shahabaj Mundaganur (Reading time- 1 min)
Source : Commons.Wikipedia
William is a one-legged poet and an inspiration for the most colorful and complex character Long John Silver in an adventure novel Treasure Island. He is most famous for his poem “Invictus” written in 1875 and published in the year 1888.
From early childhood, William suffered from illness of the bones, which caused him to endure a lot of pain. It ultimately caused the amputation of his left leg. But his morale was even higher; he would hop around, laugh, and play with enthusiasm to show pain could not reach him.
Due to illness, William had long stayed in hospitals. At the time, his right leg started to show the symptoms as well. Various authors and poets visited him in the hospital. With the help of other poets, he collected poems and published them as In Hospital. Here he befriended a man called Robert Louis Stevenson, who based the famous character of his novel “Long John Silver” on him.
William wrote the poem “Invictus” he is most notable during his stay in hospital. After he survived his illness, he credited his survival to this poem, which gave him strength and courage.
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