First published in 1908, The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp is the life story of William Henry Davies: poet, tramp, monoped. It tells of his boyhood in Wales, his experiences of tramping around England, Canada and the USA, and his struggle with poverty on his return to Britain, where he strove tirelessly to find a publisher for his poetry. Championed by George Bernard Shaw, Davies eventually achieved critical acclaim for his poetry, but it is this work of prose for which he is best known.
Its influence continues to resonate in popular culture. It was the inspiration for the name of the progressive rock band Supertramp. More recently, Into the Wild, a biography based on the diaries of ill-fated adventuring loner Christopher McCandless, which was adapted for the screen by Sean Penn in 2007, describes how McCandless renamed himself "Alexander Super-Tramp" before heading into the unknown.
Its influence continues to resonate in popular culture. It was the inspiration for the name of the progressive rock band Supertramp. More recently, Into the Wild, a biography based on the diaries of ill-fated adventuring loner Christopher McCandless, which was adapted for the screen by Sean Penn in 2007, describes how McCandless renamed himself "Alexander Super-Tramp" before heading into the unknown.
