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No other country in the world had so many brilliant writers. English classics are known all over the world. It has been reprinted in huge numbers and is still in great demand.
Brilliant, sparkling works, written with subtle irony, cannot but win the hearts of readers. We have compiled a list of the most famous English writers and poets.
10 JK Rowling (1965-…)
The most famous book of the writer Joanne Rowling became a series of Harry Potter novels. She finished her novel in 1995 by printing it out on an old typewriter. The book was sent to 12 publishers, but none of them liked the manuscript.
And only a year later, one London publishing house took up the publication of her book. A little later, the 2nd book was written and published, which received its first awards.
Total written and published 7 Harry Potter books. Now it is one of the most beloved and sought-after works, translated into 65 languages of the world.
Thanks to Harry Potter, Joan managed to become the first dollar billionaire who got rich writing books.
9. John Tolkien (1892-1973)
John Tolkien – a famous writer and poet who became famous thanks to his books The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, The Silmarillion. These are collections of fairy tales, stories and poems that tell about the fictional world of Arda.
In the 1960s, his novel The Lord of the Rings was released in America and was a huge success. the youth of that time, carried away by hippies and the ideas of freedom, saw in the book the embodiment of their views. In the mid-60s, the success was huge, but the author himself admitted that he was tired of fame.
8. Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
famous English novelist Charles Dickens became one of the most famous prose writers of the XNUMXth century. His direction is realism, although sometimes a fabulous beginning can be traced. His famous books: “Oliver Twist”, “Great Expectations”, “Little Dorrit”.
Dickens started out as a reporter. Even then, he was very successful in drawing psychological portraits of Londoners, making interesting sketches of the life of the British.
His first novel The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, telling about old England, delights with its good nature. It tells about the representatives of the English petty bourgeoisie, namely about the noble old eccentric Mr. Pickwick.
7. Agatha Christie (1890-1976)
Agatha Christie was and remains one of the most famous authors of detective fiction, she is called the grand dame of the detective. The books of Agatha Christie were among the most published in the history of mankind, with the exception of William Shakespeare and the Bible.
Agatha Christie managed to write more than 60 detective novels, 6 psychological and 19 collections of short stories. The writer said that she loved to knit in the evenings in the company of friends. In these moments, she pondered the storyline.
Taking up writing a book, she already immediately knew what her next novel would be about. The idea could have appeared anywhere (after reading a newspaper article or information about poisons). She entered them into a special notebook.
Agatha Christie considered her best work “Ten Little Indians”. But the main characters of her detectives – Hercule Poirot, a smart detective with funny habits, and Miss Marple, an ordinary English lady with an unusual inquisitive mind.
6. Arthur Conan Doyle (1859−1930)
This name is known to all fans of the legendary Sherlock Holmes, because exactly Arthur Conan Doyle came up with a charismatic detective who brilliantly solved all the crimes.
He began his literary career with short stories. After graduating from the university, and becoming a bachelor of medicine, Conan Doyle began to treat people, and only after 10 years he decided to make writing his main income.
His first novel appeared in 1884, called “Merchant House Girdlestone”, but his first detective work was the story “A study in Scarlet”. Sherlock Holmes, as a character in the story, originated in 1891.
The prototype of the detective loved by everyone was Professor Joseph Bell. He could guess the past and the character of the interlocutor from the smallest details. Holmes is the main character of 4 novels (A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of the Four, The Valley of Terror, The Hound of the Baskervilles) and 5 collections of short stories.
5. Rudyard Kipling (1865−1936)
Rudyard Kipling – a famous writer who became famous as the author of books about animals, became the first Englishman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907. In addition, he received many other awards.
His most famous books are for children’s audiences. This “The jungle book” и “Second Jungle Book”. But one of the best novels of the writer is considered “Who”, about an orphan boy who made a living by begging.
Kipling continued to write until the 1930s, when he died of an ulcer in 1936.
4. Daniel Defoe (1660−1731)
Famous English publicist and writer Daniel Defoe famous for his book “Robinson Crusoe”. He is considered one of the founders of the English novel, which helped to popularize it in the UK. What is most interesting, we know him only thanks to this work, while Defoe wrote more than 500 books, magazines and pamphlets on a variety of topics.
He was the founder of economic journalism. He published his best novel at the age of 59.
The prototype of Robinson Crusoe was the sailor Alexander Selkirk, whom the captain, after a quarrel, landed on an unfamiliar shore, giving him a small supply of weapons and provisions. For four years he lived as a hermit until he was taken on a ship.
3. Oscar Wilde (1854−1900)
Writer and poet Oscar Wildefamous playwright. Started his career with poetry collection “Poems”, which went through 5 editions. Then there were stories, including “The Canterville Ghost”.
But he became famous thanks to his only novel “The Picture of Dorian Grey”. This book has been accused of immorality. Wilde defended himself as best he could, insisting that art does not depend on morality.
Later, he wrote theoretical articles in which he talked about the religion he created. For him, art became sacred, and family, marriage and private property were rejected by him. He dreamed of universal contentment and prosperity. In addition, Oscar was engaged in writing and staging plays.
2. George Byron (1788−1824)
Lord George Byron was a romantic poet whose poems conquered Europe with their “gloomy selfishness”. He began writing poetry while studying at the University of Cambridge.
He wrote several poems, and a little later his first book appeared. “Hours of Leisure”. She was criticized more than once, which could not but upset the young poet.
But the poem “Childe Harold” was a huge success, Byron suddenly became famous. Later he created a huge number of poetic works, among which songs “Don Juan”, “Visions of the Last Judgment”, “Ode to Venice” and others.
Lord Byron decided to help the Greeks win back their freedom, bought a brig at his own expense, equipped it with soldiers and weapons, and sailed to Greece. He continued to give all his strength and means to fight for the freedom of the country, forgetting about creativity, but fell ill with a fever and died at the age of 36.
1. William Shakespeare (1564−1616)
William Shakespeare – this is the greatest English poet, who is one of the best playwrights in the world. He is called the national poet of England. In total, he created 38 plays, 4 poems, 154 sonnets. All his works have been translated into major languages.
There is little historical evidence of Shakespeare’s life, so there is still debate about what his appearance and religious beliefs were. There is even a version that all his works were created by another person, but Shakespearean scholars reject it.
His most famous works are Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello.