England's greatest writer William Shakespeare is the world's most famous playwright. He is the author of a dozen plays and hundreds of sonnets, and he also owns the most famous poems and epitaphs.
Shakespeare's works have been translated into virtually all languages of the world, and William became truly famous only in the 19th century.
It is he who owns such works as "King Lear", "Romeo and Juliet", "Macbeth", "Othello" and "Hamlet". Today there is no person who would not know the famous expression: “To be or not to be? - that is the question!”
Arthur Conan Doyle
The well-known and beloved writer Arthur Conan Doyle was actually a doctor by training.
It is thanks to him that we know today about the brilliant Sherlock Holmes and the popular Professor Challenger, as well as the brave officer Gerard. Sir Arthur wrote a huge variety of adventure, historical and humorous stories. All his life he was fond of playing cricket, politics and medicine.
In 2004, documents and personal letters from politicians and the US president were found, valued at more than £2 million.
Agatha Christie
Her real name is Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller. She is the second most popular author in the world after William Shakespeare.
Her work has been translated into almost all languages of the world and today the reader enjoys such masterpieces as "The Mysterious Affair at Styles", "The Mysterious Adversary", "Murder on the Golf Course", "Poirot Investigates" and much more.
Charles Dickens
Even during his lifetime, this great writer achieved popularity and became world famous. Charles John Huffham Dickens is a classic of world fiction. Dickens was born in 1812, lived for almost 60 years, but managed to write as many well-known works as almost no one could.
Charles received the Grand Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts. They say about him that he became a darling of fate and a universal favorite, especially among women. He has written such works as Oliver Twist, Our Mutual Friend, Great Expectations, Bleak House, Copperfield and much more.
Dickens came from a poor family, but thanks to his decent fees, he was able to provide himself and his loved ones with a good life.
Rudyard Kipling
In 1865, the famous novelist, poet and writer Joseph Rudyard Kipling was born in India. When the boy was 5 years old, his family safely moved to England.
He became the author of many poems, prose and poems, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1907, and also received awards from Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh universities. Kipling owns such famous works as "Kim", "The Jungle Book", "Courageous Captains", "Ganga Din".
Rudyard was fond of journalism, thanks to which he perfectly understands the life of the country. And the travels that he regularly made as a writer helped him convey the whole flavor of Asia and the United States.
Oscar Wilde
The great and talented Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin in 1854. The writer's father was a good doctor, for which he was knighted. The family was proud of the breadwinner, but Oscar decided to go his own way and began writing books about archeology and folklore.
Oscar studied at the Royal School and spoke French and German. At an older age, the guy began to get involved in antiquity and showed interest in ancient languages. Oscar Wilde traveled extensively and pursued knowledge all his life. He dedicated his works to his family and friends, as well as to the events that left a mark on his life.
The most popular works are "Sonnet to Liberty", "To Milton", "Phaedra", "Shelley's Grave" and much more.
Joanne Rowling
JK Rowling is considered one of the most famous modern writers. Due to the frequent relocations of the family, the girl did not have permanent friends, except that she was inseparable from her sister.
One day, the girl meets an interesting person with the surname Potter, after which Joan comes up with the idea of a brilliant work. So after some time, his studies at Hogwarts were born. Of course, the world did not see the book right away, however, it is thanks to her that today every schoolchild and student knows this brilliant English writer.
In the 90s, Joan moved to Portugal, where she taught English and continued to work on the Potter books. There she meets her soulmate and gets married.
John Tolkien
Probably, today there is no person who would not watch or read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. But the author of these famous creations is a professor at Oxford University, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. In 2008, the writer was in the top five of the best authors in the UK.
The family moved several times when the boy was still a child and then he lost his father. Nevertheless, the guy was very smart, well-read thanks to the efforts of his mother.
As a young man, he was inquisitive and read a lot, he already liked girls, and at the age of 21 Tolkien wrote a letter to his beloved with a marriage proposal. Their union turned out to be strong: they lived a long and happy life.
H. G. Wells
His family was poor, his father tried to trade, however, the business did not bring income. The writer's family lived due to the fact that his father often played cricket. However, the boy was able to get an education and become a doctor of biology.
George was engaged in teaching and actively participated in political life. Many memorials were erected after his death, and it is also said that George Wells brought light to many lives by selflessly educating the poor.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Stevenson Robert Lewis is a famous Scottish writer and author of many adventure stories and short stories. The boy was born into a non-poor family, graduated from the Edinburgh Academy and entered the university.
The child suffered several serious diseases in childhood, and in his youth, under family pressure, he married. The first edition of Stevenson was issued with the money of his father, then the guy became interested in the history of his native Scotland. His stories have been published in local newspapers and magazines.
The writer traveled a lot, but did not stop creating his masterpieces until the last day. The great author died in Samoa of a stroke.
Daniel Defoe
In 1660, the great writer Daniel Defoe was born in London. Everyone's favorite work "The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" glorified the author throughout the world and was translated into many languages.
By the way, it was Defoe who was recognized as the founder of the English novel. Throughout his life, Daniel published about 500 books, the plot of which was made into films.
The Defoe family hoped that their son would become a shepherd, but the boy made a choice in favor of art and the first works were written on religious themes. Defoe received a good education, met influential people and even went to prison. Daniel Defoe met his death far from his relatives in 1731 in London.
Jonathan Swift
In 1667, the poet and public figure Jonathan Swift was born. The Anglican priest dreamed of making the world a better place, changing people, so he got the idea to write about human vices. So the work "Gulliver's Travels" appeared.
The writer was born in a poor Protestant family, his father died very early, so the child grew up in the family of a wealthy relative. I hardly saw my mother.
Nevertheless, the boy was able to get a good education, found a decent job and, in memory of his childhood and family history, wrote an “Autobiographical Fragment”. He wrote such works as "The Battle of the Books", "The Diary for Stella", "The Butterfly's Tale" and many poems and poems.
George Byron
George Gordon Byron, more commonly known as Lord Byron, is a writer who captured the imagination not only of Europe, but of the whole world. A boy was born into a poor family: his father lost his fortune, and his mother returned from Europe with what little was left.
The boy studied at a private school, then at a gymnasium, however, according to him, his nannies taught him more than all the teachers at the school. In addition, his mother did not feel great love for her son and often threw things at him.
The title of lord came to him from his late grandfather along with the family estate. In his youth, the writer loved to read and travel, which he was very proud of later. Byron wrote throughout his life.
He owns such famous works as "Abydos Bride", "Jewish Melodies", "Parisina", "Tasso's Complaint", "Darkness", "Christian and His Comrades". In memory of the great writer, a city in Greece was named, and his portrait is depicted on postage stamps.
Lewis Carroll
One of the most versatile personalities in England is Lewis Carroll. He was a writer, interested in photography, mathematics and philosophy. His most famous works were Alice in Wonderland, Alice Through the Looking-Glass, and The Hunt for the Snark.
The boy was born in a large family. There was not much money, so his father was engaged in his education. Lewis was a smart and quick-witted child, he was left-handed, which made his relatives very unhappy.
After some time, the boy went to school, and then in college began his writing career. He sent his work to local newspapers and magazines. In 1867, Lewis went on his first and only journey, visiting Moscow and other European cities.
Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham is one of the most successful English writers of the 20th century. The future author was born in a successful French family. Parents hoped that the child would choose a career as a lawyer in the future, but the boy was not attracted to jurisprudence. Until the age of 10, the child spoke only French, therefore, his father sent him to live with relatives in England.
There he became interested in medicine, went to school at the hospital and wrote his first work, Lisa of Lambeth, about this experience. During the war, William even worked as a scout and was sent to Russia for a specific purpose.
After the war, the writer traveled extensively in Asia, about which he spoke in his work. He also owns The Hero, The Creation of a Saint, The Conqueror of Africa, Carousel, and many other novels.
Warm greetings to my readers!
Both small and big. Although today's lesson will be more about the first. We are waiting for English writers for children and their works. We will also touch on the "old men" from the 19th century. And consider the "youth" of the 20th century. And I will also give you a list where their famous books and famous ones are arranged in the order of my sincere love :).
Let `s start?
- Lewis Carroll
Many people know this writer for his restless heroine Alice and her endless travels either to Wonderland or through the Looking Glass. The writer's biography itself is no less interesting than his books. He grew up in a large family - with 3 brothers and 7 sisters. He loved to draw and dreamed of becoming an artist.
The story itself tells us about a girl who finds herself in a wonderful magical world. Where he meets many interesting characters: the Cheshire cat, the mad hatter, and the queen of cards.
- Roald Dahl
Roald was born in Wales to a Norwegian family. He spent most of his childhood in boarding houses. One of the latter was located next to the famous chocolate factory Cadbury. It is believed that it was then that the idea came to him to write his best children's story - "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".
This story is about a boy, Charlie, who gets one of the five tickets. This ticket will let him into the closed chocolate factory. Together with 4 other participants, he completes all tasks in the factory and remains the winner.
- Rudyard Kipling
This author is known to us for his story "The Jungle Book", which tells about a boy named Mowgli, who grew up among wild forests along with a variety of animals. Most likely, this story was inspired by his own childhood. The fact is that Rudyard was born and spent the first 5 years of his life in India.
- Joanne Rowling
The most famous "storyteller" of our time gave us that very one. Joan wrote this story for her children. And at that time their family lived very poorly.
And the books themselves give us the opportunity to plunge into the world of magic and magic. The boy Harry finds out that he is a wizard and goes to Hogwarts school. Amusing adventures await him there.
This is where you can buy books!
- Joan Aiken
This woman simply had to become a writer, because everyone in her family wrote: from father to sister. But Joan was engaged in children's literature. So her most famous work was the story "A piece of heaven in a pie." And it was her filmed by our domestic TV channels. True to the Russian people, this story is known under the name "Apple Pie".
- Robert Louis Stevenson
Not a man - a pirate! It makes you want to scream “Hey-gay!”, because this man invented the pirate Captain Flint in his story “Treasure Island”. Hundreds of boys did not sleep at night to follow the adventures of this hero.
The author himself was born in cold Scotland. Trained as an engineer and lawyer. At the same time, his first book came out when Robert was only 16 years old on the money borrowed from his father. But he came up with the story about the treasure island much later. And what is interesting - while playing with my son. Together they drew a treasure map and came up with stories.
- John Tolkien
The creator of modern from another world - "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" - stories so fantastic and exciting that it takes your breath away.
The author of the books, John, worked as a teacher. As a child, he learned to read early, so he did it often. He admitted that he hated the story "Treasure Island" with a fierce hatred, but madly loved "Alice in Wonderland". The author himself wrote stories for which he was called the "father of fantasy".
- Pamela Travers
This woman's real name is Helen. She was born in far, far away Australia. But at the age of 8 she moved with her mother to Wales. As a child, Pamela was very fond of animals. She fiddled in the yard, and she represented herself as a bird. When she grew up, she traveled a lot, but still then returned to England.
Once she was asked to sit with two small and restless children. So, during the game, she began to invent a story about a nanny who carried things with her in a suitcase, and who had an umbrella with a handle in the shape of a parrot. Then the plot develops on paper and so the world got the famous nanny Mary Poppins. The first book was followed by others - continuations of the story about the nanny.
On this, I think, we will end. Read interesting books, learn the language and develop yourself. And do not miss the opportunity to receive new blog articles instantly in your mail - subscribe to the newsletter.
See you soon!
In the video below, there are some more great writers and their works that are worth reading!
If you are interested in the classics of world literature, famous English writers and their works, then after reading this article, you will definitely find new and interesting information for yourself.
Famous English writers and their works
(1564-1616) - English playwright, poet and actor. Considered the most famous playwright in the world, he is the author of about 17 comedies, 10 chronicles, 11 tragedies, 5 poems and a cycle of 154 sonnets.
The most famous works: "Romeo and Juliet" (1594-1595), "Hamlet" (1603), "Othello" (1604), etc.
(1865-1936) - English prose writer and poet. Known as the creator of children's fairy tales about Mowgli, an inquisitive baby elephant, a cat that likes to walk by itself, about the mongoose Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, etc. The youngest winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The most famous works:"The Jungle Book" (1893-1894), "Riki-Tiki-Tavi", "Hunting Kaa" (1894), etc.
(1854-1900) - an outstanding English-speaking poet, playwright, writer, essayist. One of the most famous playwrights of the late Victorian period. The most famous work is The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890).
(1788-1824) - English poet, was a symbol of romanticism and political liberalism in 19th century Europe. Introduced into literature the "Byronic" hero and the term "Byronism".
Creative heritage:"Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" (1812), "Don Juan" (1819-1824) and others.
Arthur Conan Doyle(1859-1930) - English writer, known for his works about Sherlock Holmes. The most famous are his detective stories about Sherlock Holmes, science fiction about Professor Challenger, as well as historical novels. In addition, he wrote plays and poetry.
creative legacy"White Squad" (1891), "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (1900), etc.
Thomas More (1478 - 1535), from whom, in fact, famous English writers originate, despite his “serious” origin from the family of a well-known judge in London, from childhood he had exceptional gaiety. At the age of 13, he found himself in the service of the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Morton.
However, not only wit, but also a craving for knowledge contributed to the fact that his stern mentor predicted for him the fate of an "amazing man."
Starting from 1510, the young lawyer became interested VIII, and this meant the beginning of a political career for Thomas. 11 years later, he was so successful in it that he was knighted, the prefix "sir" was added to his name. And for the manifesto "In Defense of the Seven Sacraments" he was awarded the title of Defender of the Faith of England by Pope Leo X.
Scholars still do not know whether to classify his "History of Richard III" as a historical or artistic work. It is similar to the chronicles of those years, however, they also indicate the point of view of the author, who gives an assessment of the events of 1483, this version was very popular in the work of writers of the 19th century.
Thomas More also had other talents - poet and translator. He is credited, in particular, with the authorship of 280 Latin epigrams, translations from Greek and poems.
The most significant creation of More is considered to be "Utopia", which has retained its relevance in England today. Her ideas were used by Russian writers of the 19th century. In the genre of the novel, he laid a powerful message of socialist thought.
It can be considered a kind of manifesto of utopian socialism of the 19th century. A master of epigrams, he himself spoke of his work as useful and amusing. The ideas of the abolition of private property and the exploitation of labor are also used by modern writers.
Jonathan Swift (1667 - 1745) is known to the general public only as the author of the famous Gulliver's Travels. However, this talented satirist of England showed himself to be a bold publicist, philosopher, poet and public figure, who most of all stood up for solving the problems of his native Irish. Famous writers of the 19th century consider him their confessor.
Swift came from a poor family. His father, his full namesake, died in the rank of a petty judicial official when his wife was pregnant with the future classic of English literature. Therefore, all the work of raising the baby was taken over by his uncle Godwin, and Jonathan practically did not know his own mother.
He studied at Trinity College (Dublin University) with a bachelor's degree, but this study left him skeptical of science for life. He was much better at languages - Latin and Greek, as well as French, plus he had excellent makings of a writer who influenced the literature of England in the 19th century.
Even before receiving a master's degree at Oxford (1692), he made his debut in the literary field as a poet.
Two years later, Jonathan became a confessor and was sent to Ireland. The religious fervor of the future criticism of morals did not last long, and already in 1696-1699 he returned to the literature of England with satirical stories, parables and poems, which were developed in Russian literature of the 19th century.
Nevertheless, having lost his patrons in London, he was forced to return to the bosom of the church, without ceasing to create in the field of satire. In 1702, he became a doctor of divinity at the same Trinity College, which he had previously graduated from.
One of the two parables he wrote earlier - "The Tale of the Barrel" - brings him popularity in England. In 1713, he took the post of dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, thus entering into big politics. The main theme of his aspirations was the struggle for Irish autonomy, which English writers actively sang in their works of the 19th century.
Interestingly, the first two volumes of Gulliver were published in England anonymously (1726). The remaining two, however, did not take long to wait (1727) and, despite some successes in censorship, which slightly spoiled the book, Travels instantly became unprecedentedly popular. Suffice it to say that within a few months the book was reprinted three times, and then its translations began, continuing into the 19th and 20th centuries.
Samuel Richardson (1689 - 1761) can rightly be called the founding father of the "sensitive" literature of England, which was continued by writers of the 19th century. With three whale novels - "Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded", "Clarissa, or the Story of a Young Lady" and "The Story of Sir Charles Grandison" - he formed the foundation of his worldwide fame.
He was not only a remarkable writer, but also an authoritative printer and publisher in England. He survived the death of his wife and five sons, married again, and the second wife bore him four daughters. However, Samuel himself was from a large family, in which, in addition to himself, eight more children grew up.
Already in his teens, Samuel gravitated toward writing. At the age of 13, the girls he knew begged him to write for them the answers to the love messages sent to them. So, with simple studies of girlish hearts, he prepared the ground for his “three whales”, on which their fruits grew in the 19th century.
At the age of 17, he became a printer, and for a long seven years he worked as a laborer for a master who disliked Richardson so much that he did not give any concessions to one of all his employees. After leaving him, Samuel opened his printing house, and then married the daughter of his former employer for convenience.
Richardson wrote his first novel at the age of 51, and this creation instantly became a bestseller, and its author became a lifetime classic.
Each of Samuel's three novels tells about the life of a certain class of England - from the lowest to the highest. Their main advantage is a fundamental analysis of feelings and abundant moralizing. The most successful critics unanimously call it "Clarissa, or the Story of a young lady", the ideas of which came to court in the 19th century, and modern authors also use them.
Henry Fielding (1707 - 1754) is the founder of the realist novel in England, the author of The History of Tom Jones, the Foundling, and a prolific playwright. Coming from a general's family, a hereditary nobleman, he graduated from Eton, studied for two years at Leiden, but was forced to return to London and earn a living as a playwright.
His first opuses with a clearly satirical slant came under fire from official criticism, and after the release of The Golden Tail from his pen, the authorities adopted the Law on Theater Censorship, which was also relevant in the 19th century.
Fielding had to leave the theatre, go to Temple and focus on a lawyer career in order to support his family. Along the way, he became interested in journalism, but often lived in poverty, and only the patronage of the wealthy benefactor Ralph Allen (later Olvetri's prototype in Tom Jones) helped his children, after Henry's death, receive a decent education.
However, the appeal of satire did not allow him to leave dramaturgy forever, and the success in England of his "The Boy from the Finger" became the continuation of his career in this field. His first major success was Shamela, in this novel he takes over from Jonathan Swift and successfully criticizes the melodramatic genre, which was in great favor at that time and most fully revealed in the 19th century.
However, neither in it, nor in the "Joseph Andrews" that followed it, Fielding was able to achieve such a level of skill as in "The History of the Life of the Late Jonathan Wilde the Great." The theme of fraud, begun in this novel, continued in The Effeminate Spouse.
Fielding's crowning achievement is undoubtedly his Tom Jones. Here the genre of the picaresque novel is already almost fully formed in order to sail further on the waves of English literature, accessible to followers.
And the tilt towards sentimentalism, made by him in "Emilia", only testifies to the many-sided talent of this great writer of England.
Walter Scott (1771 - 1832) was the first to use the fashionable word today "freelancer" (in "Ivanhoe"), and he was not a free artist, but a hired medieval warrior. In addition to writing and poetry, history and advocacy, the founder of the historical novel of the 19th century was not alien to the collection of antiquities.
He was born the ninth child in a family of intellectuals, where his father was a wealthy lawyer, and his mother was the daughter of a professor of medicine. However, at the age of one, little Walter suffered from infantile paralysis, and therefore, despite repeated treatment, his right leg lost mobility forever.
The future novelist of the 19th century spent his childhood with his grandfather, a farmer, striking those around him with his liveliness of mind and unique memory. The years of study are connected with his native Edinburgh, here the boy developed a craving for the study of ballads and legends of Scotland and the work of German poets.
At the age of 21, he becomes a certified lawyer, and then acquires his own legal practice. At this time, he travels a lot around Britain, collecting his favorite English legends and ballads.
The writer meets his first love in the same lawyer family. However, the girl preferred the banker to him, which forever broke his heart, the particles of which are littered with all his subsequent literary opuses.
Unfortunately, childhood illnesses make themselves felt in 1830 with apoplexy. Now his right arm is losing mobility. Over the next two years, he suffers two more such strokes, and dies in 1832 from a heart attack.
Now a museum has been opened on his Abbotsford estate, which contains all the relics associated with his life achievements. They began with translations of the ballads of one of his favorite German poets Burger - "Lenora" and "The Wild Hunter". Goethe's drama Goetz von Berlichingem was next in his translation.
It is clear, therefore, that Scott's debut in the literature of the 19th century could only be a poetic work - the ballad Ivan's Evening (1800). Already in 1802, he broke into a two-volume set, which included both Scott's original ballads and English legends revised by him.
A year later, the literary world witnessed the birth of the first novel in verse, Marmion. In addition, he owns the throne of the founder of the historical poem, and his work in 1805-1817 popularized the lyric-epic poem.
So, having already become a famous poet, he graduated from Waverley in 1814 and began a career that brought him worldwide fame, which writers of the whole planet envy. Despite poor health, Walter Scott was phenomenally efficient. He published less than two novels a year.
It was Honoré de Balzac of 19th century English literature! Interestingly, from the very beginning he was looking for his way in the genre of the historical novel of England. And, judging by the success of Rob Roy, Woodstock, Ivanhoe, Quentin Durward, The Antiquarian and his other novels that followed Waverley, he succeeded quite well!
