William Shakespeare (1564-1616) Arguably the
most important man of letters in England was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and moved to London in 1584, where he founded a theater company that was first called “Lord Chamberlain’s Company” and later “The King’s Men”. From 1599 the group played in their own theater, the famous “Globe Theater” on the south bank of the Thames. In Shakespeare she had the best playwright. It is still not completely clear whether William Shakespeare is really the author of the works ascribed to him, but at least his existence has been proven. His works include numerous dramas and 130 sonnets. His most famous dramas are “Richard III”, “The Taming of the Shrew”, “Romeo & Juliet”
Mary Shelley (1797-1851) Born
Mary Godwin in London in 1797, the writer was the child of a social philosopher and suffragette. “Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus” (1818) is her most famous novel, which has been filmed several times and turned into plays. Another five novels, reviews, poems, essays and a novella come from Shelley’s pen. She died in her native town in 1851 and was married to the writer Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was considered a true advocate of atheism.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
The Scottish writer was born in Edinburgh in 1850 and wrote travel stories, adventure literature and historical novels, but also poetry and essays. The thrilling adventure novel “Treasure Island” (1880) and the horror story “The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1886), which deals with the phenomenon of split personality, are particularly well known. A number of Stevenson’s novels are still popular today and some have been made into films several times. He died in Samoa in 1894.
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863)
Victorian-era writer. William Makepeace Thackeray was born in 1811 into the family of a colonial official in Calcutta. He studied at Cambridge and then traveled a lot. Among his acquaintances was Goethe. The work that still establishes Thackeray’s fame today is the novel “Vanity Fair” from 1874/1875 – “The Vanity Fair”. Even a modern magazine was named after it. Makepeace Thackeray died in London in 1863.
Dylan Thomas (1914-1953)
Dylan Marlais Thomas was born in Swansea in 1914 and initially worked as a journalist. He later wrote poems, essays, scripts, autobiographical stories and his most important work, the play “Unter dem Milchwald”, which was awarded the Prix Italia as a radio play shortly after his death in 1954. His propensity for alcoholism did not detract from his literary success. The Welshman made his debut with “18 Poems” in 1934. Thomas died in New York City in 1953.
JRR Tolkien (1892-1973)
Writer and philologist. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in South Africa as the first son of Arthur Reuel Tolkien (bank manager) and Mabel Suffield from England. He studied from 1911 at Exeter College, Oxford. With his trilogy of novels “The Lord of the Rings” from 1954/55, he founded modern fantasy literature and gained international fame. Tolkien died in Bournemouth in 1973.
Horace Walpole (1717-1797)
The writer, politician and artist is considered to be the founder of the English gothic novel, the so-called “Gothic Novel” and the English landscape garden. He was the son of the then Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole. He was also a member of the British Parliament from 1741-1768 and was named 4th Earl of Oxford in 1971. In 1964 he published the gruesome novel “The Castle of Otranto” anonymously and only confessed to his work when it achieved great success. Walpole owned a country house on the Thames near London, which he converted into a Gothic castle.
HG Wells (1866-1946)
writer, sociologist, historian. Herbert George Wells is known as the father of modern science fiction literature. He was born in Bromley in 1866 and grew up in poor conditions. Inspired by the works of Jules Verne, he published “The Time Machine” in 1895, which laid the foundation for other science fiction works such as “The Invisible Man” (1897) and “War of the Worlds” (1898). These pieces were filmed elaborately and successfully. Wells, who was also a socialist, died in London in 1946.
Irvine Welsh (born 1958)
Irvine Welsh was born in Leith in 1958 as the son of a dockworker and worked as a television mechanic and musician. His debut novel was internationally successful. It’s called “Trainspotting” and came out as a feature film shortly after its appearance in 1993. Welsh, who is well versed in the London punk and drug scene, has also written works such as “The Acid House” and “Porno”. Drugs, football and homosexuality that has not been lived out are among the subjects of the Scot.
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797)
writer, philosophies, translator. Mary Wollstonecraft was born in Hoxton in 1759, the daughter of a weaver. The best-known work of the writer and women’s rights activist is “Defense of Women’s Rights”, which was published as one of the first books in Europe on the subject of feminism. She was in contact with Wilhelm von Humboldt, among others, and also traveled a lot during her life. Wollstonecraft died in London in 1797.
Virginia Woolf (1882-1942)
writer. Woolf was born into a wealthy family in London in 1882. She was a member of the literary circle of the Bloomsbury Group in Cambridge. Later she gave lectures in the university town. Her works are numerous and world famous, e.g. B. “Mrs. Dalloway” (1925) or “Orlando” (1928). She is considered an important champion for women’s rights and is an important representative of literary modernism. Woolf died in Sussex in 1942.
William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
poet. Wordsworth was born in Cockermouth in 1770 to a lawyer and studied at Cambridge. He developed into the leading pioneer of the English romantic movement in literature. Above all his “Lyrical Ballads” (1798 and 1800) and his posthumously published poem “The Prelude” are justified with his international fame. Wordsworth died at Rydal Mount in 1850.
