Edmund Spenser

• Born in 1552 in London• One of the premier

craftsmen of Modern English verse• 1569 - first publication

anonymous translations, mainly of Petrarch’s sonnets

1579 - first publicly-released poetic work, The Sheapheards' Calendar

• 1580 - Sent to Ireland to hold English property on the oft-rebellious island• Met Elizabeth Boyle –

future wife• Suit to win her hand in

marriage is recorded in Amoretti• The marriage itself was

celebrated in Epithalamion

• 1599 - traveled to London, where died at 46• Burried in Westminster Abbey• There are words on his tomb: “The Prince of

Poets”

Poets’ coffins in Westminster Abbey

Published works•The Sheapheards' Calendar – 1579•The Faerie Queene 1589 – 1596•Epithalamion - 1595•Prothalamion - 1596

The Faerie Queene

• Epic poem • One of the longest poems

in the English language• Initially 12 books, but

published only 6• Characters have a

specific symbolic meaning• “ Spenserian stanza “

Amoretti• A sonnet cycle• Describes author’s courtship and

eventual marriage to Elizabeth Boyle• Published in 1595 in London • The Petrarchan tradition

References• Poetry foundation. 2014. [online]. [cit. 2014-

03-19]. Available on the Internet: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/edmund-spenser• Wikipedia. 2014. [online]. [cit. 2014-03-15].

Available on the Internet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amoretti• Ousby, I. 1988. The Cambridge Guide to

Literature in English. USA: Cambridge University Press, 1988. 940-942 p.

Thank you for attention!