Bits and Bobs: Keats House in Hampstead

6 February, 2020:

John Keats died at age 25 in February of 1821, two hundred years ago this month. He only seriously began writing poetry a few years before his death, and his poems were not well received by literary critics of the day.

Keats was born in London on October 31, 1795 into a life marked by misfortune. At 8 years of age he lost his father who died falling off a horse. He lost his mother to Consumption when he was only 14. Growing up parentless and of limited means, John took up medical studies at a time when aspects of medicine were still somewhat medieval. There was no anesthesia and surgery was a cruel and messy affair. Upon receiving his license to practice as a doctor, Keats renounced the medical profession and elected to be a poet. That was in 1816. In 1818, he moved into the house in Hampstead after nursing his younger brother Tom who also died of Consumption. Another brother, George, who moved to America may have died of the same dreaded illness. Keats lived in the Hampstead house for less than two years but here is where he wrote his most famous poems, his odes. Here he was inspired by nature and by his muse, Fanny Brawne, his neighbor.

During Keats time, Tuberculosis was known as Consumption as it 'consumed' the patients. There was no cure and many people believed it to be hereditary or the sign of a morally weak person. In the early 1800s bloodletting was a popular means by which to remove what was believed to be poisoned blood. The disease ravaged countless families including the Bronte Family of West Yorkshire. One in three people in London died of TB in those days.

In 1820 John Keats recognized that he himself was suffering from TB. Following medical advice, his friends raised money to send him to the warmer climate of Rome. On 13 September 1820, Fanny wrote in her notebook: "Mr. Keats left Hampstead." Only a few months after arriving in Italy, he died. It would take several decades before the world recognized John Keats talent. In his lifetime he published only three books of poetry, 54 poems, but today he is regarded as one of England's best loved poets, second after Shakespeare.

We took a guided tour of Keats House with people from all parts of the world who came to pay homage to this great writer. Exploring the modest rooms and tranquil garden of this house in this 'leafy' part of London, I could understand how Keats cherished it as a sanctuary from his darkness and despair. This is one of my favorite neighborhoods in all London.

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever. its loveliness increases, it will never pass into nothingness." - Quote, from Endymion

Beauty is truth, truth beauty, -- that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." - Quote, from Ode to a Grecian Urn