Anthony Burgess

Anthony Burgess (1917-1993)

English Novelist and Critic

A writer with incredible intellect, Anthony Burgess is best known for his novel, A Clockwork Orange, that portrays a disturbed youth who is violent and feels rejected by society.

Early Life of Anthony Burgess

Anthony Burgess was born into a Catholic family on February 25, 1917 in Manchester, U.K. His father was a pianist, and his mother was a musical comedy performer who died when Burgess was only a year old.

Read more — Anthony Burgess Brief Biography

Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1343-1400)

English Poet

Chaucer was the greatest poet of the Middle Ages, and best remembered as the author of The Canterbury Tales, one of the most important books in the history of English literature.

Life of Geoffrey Chaucer in a Nutshell

Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London c. 1343 into a prosperous wine merchant family. At the age of 16, he took part in a military expedition to France, a part of the Hundred Years’ War. He was held prisoner, captured by the French. The English king and Chaucer’s friends paid the ransom for his release.

Read more … Geoffrey Chaucer Brief Biography and Works

Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine (1737-1809)

English-born American Writer

Thomas Paine was a political philosopher who inspired the revolutions both in the U.S. and France. In his The Rights of Man, he adhered to the idea that the democratic republic is the only morally acceptable constitution. His main beliefs included the power of reason where there is freedom to debate, tolerance, equality of rights and the dignity of man.

Read more —  Thomas Paine and His Writings

 

Kingsley Amis

Kingsley Amis (1922-1925)

English Novelist, Poet, Teacher and Critic

The group of British writers called the “Angry Young Men” included Kingsley Amis, John Osborne and Alan Sillitoe, among others. This was in the 1950s when these writers shocked readers with their rejection of middle-class values. Amis, famous for the novel,Lucky Jim, is known for his satires on the class system.

Early Years of Kingsley Amis

Kingsley Amis was born on April 16, 1922 in London. When he was 19, he won a scholarship at Oxford University where he studied English.

Read more — Kingsley Amis Brief Biography

 

John Bunyan

John Bunyan (1628-1688)

English Writer and Preacher

John Bunyan was a great English writer who communicated his religious beliefs and ideas through storytelling and allegory. He is famous for his masterpiece, The Pilgrim’s Progress.

John Bunyan was born on November 30, 1628, in Elstow, Bedfordshire, near London in a village where his family had been farmers for generations. He hardly received any education and seemed destined to lead a simple existence until two events that changed everything.

Read more…  John Bunyan Life and Works

 

Works by John Bunyan

• Grace Abounding to the chief of Sinners, 1666 
• A Confession of my Faith, and a Reason of my Practice, 1672
• The Pilgrim’s Progress, 1678
• The Life and Death of Mr. Badman, 1680
• The Holy War, 1682 (or The Losing and Taking Again of the Town of Mansoul)
• The Pilgrim’s Progress, Part II, 1684
• A Book for Boys and Girls, 1686

John Milton

John Milton (1608-1674)

English Poet and Essayist

Best known for Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained and Lycidas, John Milton was one of the greatest English poets with huge influence on English poetry.

Milton’s Life in a Nutshell

John Milton was born on December 9, 1698 in London. His father was a successful lawyer and composer. They had a second house in the country where Milton spent six years in private study after finishing education in Cambridge University in 1632.

Read more …   John Milton Life and Works

Works by John Milton

•”On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity”, 1629
•”L’Allegro”, c. 1631
•”Il Penseroso”, c. 1631
•Comus, 1634
•Lycidas, 1637
•Areopagitica, 1644
•Poems, 1645
•Paradise Lost, 1667
•Paradise Regained, 1671
•Samson Agonistes, 1671

Robert Graves

Robert Graves (1895-1985)

English Poet, Novelist, Critic 

English poet, novelist and critic Robert Graves is regarded the best writer of love poetry in his time. He is best known for his autobiography Goodbye to All That and historical novel I, Claudius.

His love poetry is both gloomy and romantically passionate. Although extremely personal, his work has universal appeal.

Read more… Robert Graves Biography

Books by Robert Graves

• Poetic Unreason and Other Studies, 1925
• Goodbye to All That, 1929
• I, Claudius, 1934
• Claudius the God, 1934
• The Story of Marie Powell, Wife to Mr. Milton, 1943
• Hercules, My Shipmate, 1944
• King Jesus, 1946
• The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth, 1948
• The Greek Myths, 1955
• Collected Poems, 1959

Henry Fielding

Henry Fielding (1707-1754)

English Novelist and Playwright

Henry Fielding was a popular English author during the first half of the 18th century, best known for his plays. Today, he is remembered as one of the first English novelists.

Early Life of Henry Fielding

Fielding was born on April 22, 1707, near Glastonbury, Somerset. His family was wealthy and respected in southwest England. He was educated at Eton College, where he learned to love ancient Greek and Roman literature that influenced his decision to become a playwright.

Read more… Henry Fielding Biography

Books by Henry Fielding

• Love in Several Masques, 1728
• The Author’s Farce, 1730
• Tom Thumb, 1730
• Rape upon Rape, 1730
• The Modern Husband, 1732
• Pasquin, 1736
• Shamela, 1741
• Joseph Andrews, 1742
• A Journey from this World to the Next, 1743
• A History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, 1749
• Amelia, 1751