Lear in Greece
Edward Lear has two claims to fame, as the author of nonsense poems and as a landscape artist. His nonsense verse — including the limerick form, which he perfected and made popular — is known and loved wherever English is spoken. To many people, in fact, Lear is known only for his ‘nonsenses’ and it comes as a surprise to learn that they were merely an occasional diversion, and that he was, by profession, an artist who earned his livelihood, at times precariously, as a painter.
