Born in Bristol in 1752, Thomas Chatterton was one of the most enigmatic characters of 18th Century poetry, mostly in part because he took his own life at the tender age of just 17 and wrote the fake 'Rowley poems' that caused such controversy at the time. He became a the focal point for many later poets from the Gothic era ...
Robert E Howard was, in his very short life time, responsible for the creation of pulp fiction characters that are still “alive” today, over seventy years after he created them. He was an American writer of fictional novels but he also dabbled in fantastical poetry, sometimes in standard verse but also in “prose” form. Many were published in poetry journals such as ...
Novalis was a late 18th century German writer who lived for less than thirty years. He was well known at the time as a philosopher and he wrote Fragmenten – a short collection of fragments of philosophical thought. Much of this, and other pieces of work, were published by friends after his death. He only released a single collection of poems, titled ...
Born in 1672 in Wiltshire, Joseph Addison was a poet and writer who is most well-known for creating The Spectator, a magazine that had the primary aim of encouraging philosophical conversation. Addison started the magazine with his friend Richard Steele whom he had met first at Charterhouse School. He was a talented student with a liking for the classics that took him ...
Born in 1621 in Champagne, French poet Jean de La Fontaine was perhaps one of the most famous and popular writers of his time and is best known for his work Fables Choisies. His father was a forestry manager and the family would be considered today upper middle class. For most of his childhood, La Fontaine went to school ...
