John Sampson (linguist)
Encyclopedia
John Sampson was an Irish linguist. As a scholar he is best known for The Dialect of the Gypsies of Wales (1926), an authoritative grammar of the Welsh-Romany language. It was written with the collaboration of Edward Wood, who died in 1902. Sampson edited a collection the poetry of William Blake
, Blake's "Poetical Works", that restored the text from original works and annotated the published variants; Alfred Kazin
described this as "the first accurate and completely trustworthy edition'.
, County Cork
, Ireland, and had to leave school aged 14 after his father died. He became librarian at University College, Liverpool in 1892, largely self-taught.
In 1901 he met the artist Augustus John
, and they struck up a long friendship, leading to an emphasis in John’s works on Romany subjects.
The writer Anthony Sampson
, who was John Sampson's grandson, published a biography The Scholar Gypsy of him in 1997.
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
, Blake's "Poetical Works", that restored the text from original works and annotated the published variants; Alfred Kazin
Alfred Kazin
Alfred Kazin was an American writer and literary critic, many of whose writings depicted the immigrant experience in early twentieth century America....
described this as "the first accurate and completely trustworthy edition'.
Life
He was born in SchullSchull
Schull or Skull is a town in County Cork, Ireland. The name derives from a medieval monastic school of which no trace remains. Located on the southwest coast, in West Cork, the village is situated in a scenic and remote location, dominated by Mount Gabriel . It has a sheltered harbour, used for...
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland, and had to leave school aged 14 after his father died. He became librarian at University College, Liverpool in 1892, largely self-taught.
In 1901 he met the artist Augustus John
Augustus John
Augustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
, and they struck up a long friendship, leading to an emphasis in John’s works on Romany subjects.
The writer Anthony Sampson
Anthony Sampson
Anthony Terrell Seward Sampson was a British writer and journalist. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford and served with the Royal Navy from 1944-47. During the 1950s he edited the magazine Drum in Johannesburg, South Africa...
, who was John Sampson's grandson, published a biography The Scholar Gypsy of him in 1997.