Would Have Been A Good Blogger

World's worst poet:

EDINBURGH, Scotland – The vocabulary is poor and the rhyme excruciating but a collector paid $12,840 Friday for original works by William Topaz McGonagall, internationally celebrated as the worst poet ever to assault the English language.

Up for auction was a collection of 35 poems McGonagall self-published in the 1890s, in which he rambles about everything from a theatre fire and the life of Robert Burns to women's suffrage and Britain's imperial wars. Bad as it was, it did not reach the top estimate of $15,600 at the sale, conducted by Edinburgh auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull.

Still, McGonagall's work outstripped a collection of rare and inscribed Harry Potter books by Edinburgh resident J.K. Rowling, which fetched $12,000 at the same sale.

McGonagall's lack of talent was matched only by his delusion and ego. Along with the 35 poems were a portfolio of posters and two copies of his rather short autobiography – "dedicated to himself, knowing none greater."

Known as the "Tayside Tragedian," after his dire poem "The Tay Bridge Disaster," McGonagall was ridiculed during his lifetime. He kept an umbrella with him during recitals for protection from rotten tomatoes.

But he has attracted a cult following. Devotees hold annual suppers in his honour at which his poetry is recited and the meal eaten backwards – dessert first.

Such, however, is the potential embarrassment of being exposed as a fan that the vendor, buyer and rival bidders at Friday's auction all chose to remain anonymous.

"Everyone knows him as the world's worst poet, but we are still talking about him today and he's attracted an international audience here," said Alex Dove, books specialist at Lyon & Turnbull. "He's appreciated because he's comedic, he's got bad vocabulary and the rhyme is cringeworthy."