The Philosopher's Joke

Jerome Klapka Jerome (1859-1927) was an English author, best known for the humourous travelogue Three Men in a Boat (1889). In 1877, he decided to try his hand at acting, under the stage name Harold Crichton. He joined a repertory troupe who tried to produce plays on a shoestring budget, often drawing on the meager resources of the actors themselves to purchase costumes and props. He tried to become a journalist, writing essays, satires and short stories, but most of these were rejected. Over the next few years he was a school teacher, a packer, and a solicitors clerk. Finally, in 1885, he had some success with On the Stage-and Off, a humourous book, the publication of which opened the door for more plays and essays. Other works include Diary of a Pilgrimage (1891), Idle Ideas In 1905 (1905), Fanny and the Servant Problem (1908), The Angel and the Author (1908), They and I (1909), The Master of Mrs Chilvers (1911), Malvina of Brittany (1916), and All Roads Lead to Calvary (1919).