author
John A. (John Alexander) Joyce
1842–1915
An Irish-born poet, Civil War veteran, and Washington literary figure, he led a life full of sharp turns. His writing ranges from patriotic verse and memoir to a biography of Edgar Allan Poe, giving readers a glimpse of a restless and colorful nineteenth-century career.
1 Audiobook
Shakspere, Personal Recollections
by John A. (John Alexander) Joyce
About the author
Born in Ireland on July 4, 1842, John Alexander Joyce later made his life in the United States and became known as an Irish-American poet and writer. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War with the 24th Kentucky Infantry, rising to roles including first lieutenant and regimental adjutant.
After the war, he settled in Washington, D.C., where he built a reputation as the "Washington Poet." Alongside his poetry, he wrote memoir and biographical work, including A Checkered Life, Complete Poems of Col. John A. Joyce, and a study of Edgar Allan Poe.
Joyce's life was not a quiet one. Accounts of his career note both his literary ambitions and his involvement in the Whiskey Ring era while working as an Internal Revenue official, a reminder that his story was as complicated as the age he lived in. He died on January 18, 1915.