John Keats

John Keats (/ˈkiːts/; 31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was one of the greatest English Romantic poets.

His poems and letters are some of the most popular and most analysed in English literature. Among the poems, it is his odes that take precedence.

Although his poems were not generally well received by critics during his life, his reputation grew after his death, so that by the end of the 19th century he had become one of the most beloved of all English poets. He had a significant influence on a diverse range of poets and writers.

Borges once stated that his first encounter with Keats was the most significant literary experience of his life.

Keats died at the tender age of 25. Early in 1820, he began to display symptoms of tuberculosis. In September, Keats and his friend Joseph Severn left for the warmer weather of Italy, in the hope that this would improve Keats' health. When they reached Rome, Keats was confined to bed. Severn nursed him devotedly, but Keats died in Rome on 23 February 1821. He was buried in the Protestant Cemetery in Rome.

See below from BBC Omnibus, 1995 - To commemorate the bicentenary of sublime English poet John Keats, Andrew Motion (now Poet Laureate) recreated the final, futile voyage from England to Italy...

The Last Journey Of John Keats (1/4)