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The Scroobious Pip

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"The Scroobious Pip" is a nonsense verse poem left unfinished by Edward Lear at the time of his death in 1888.

Premise

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The poem tells of a fanciful animal of unknown taxonomy known only as "the Scroobious Pip" and the fruitless attempts of the other animals of the world to classify it.

History

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In 1872, Lear began work on "The Scroobious Pip", but it was unfinished by the time of his death.[1]

In 1935, the poem, which had not been previously published, was released as a collectors' edition, of which 950 copies were printed.[1]

In 1968, the poem was completed by American poet Ogden Nash, who had been asked to finish the work.[1] His contributions were accompanied by illustrations by Nancy Ekholm Burkert and printed together in a large elephant folio format.

Harvard University Press published Teapots And Quails, a small book of Lear's poetry that includes "The Scroobious Pip".

Influence and legacy

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The poem's title was adopted as the stage name of a UK hip hop performance artist, Scroobius Pip, who is one half of the duo Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Staff, Harriet (11 February 2014). "The Anthony Madrid Version of Edward Lear's 'The Scroobious Pip'". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip". MTV.co.uk. MTV. Archived from the original on 11 December 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

Bibliography

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