Jerome K. Jerome

Jerome Klapka Jerome was born on 2 May 1859 in Walsall, England, to Marguerite Jones and Jerome Clapp. Bad investments and unsteady income led the family into poverty and chronic debt. After his parents’ premature deaths, the teenage Jerome was forced to drop out of school.

He spent his youth pursuing various different paths – working as an actor, journalist, teacher and clerk, among
other professions. The success of 'Three Men in a Boat' allowed Jerome to become a full-time writer. He also
experimented with theatre, and volunteered as an ambulance driver during World War I.

On 14 June 1927, he died after suffering a stroke.