SPENSER, EDMUND

SPENSER, EDMUND
   author of the "Faërie Queene," and one of England's greatest poets; details of his life are scanty and often hypothetical; born at London of poor but well-connected parents; entered Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, as a "sizar" in 1569, and during his seven years' residence there became an excellent scholar; took a master's degree, and formed an important friendship with Gabriel Harvey; three years of unsettled life followed, but were fruitful in the production of the "Shepheards' Calendar" (1579), which at once placed him at the head of the English poets of his day; had already taken his place in the best London literary and political circles as the friend of Sir Philip Sidney and Leicester, and in 1580 was appointed private secretary to Lord Grey, then proceeding to Ireland as the Lord Deputy, and although his master soon returned to England Spencer continued to make his home in Ireland, where he obtained some civil appointments, and in 1591 entered into possession of a considerable portion of the forfeited estates of the Earl of Desmond, adjacent to his house, Kilcolman Castle, co. Cork; seems to have been a pretty stern landlord, and, as expounded in his admirable tract, "A View of the Present State of Ireland," the advocate of a policy of "suppression and repression"; consequently was little loved by the Irish, and on the outbreak of Tyrone's rebellion in 1598 his house was sacked and burned, and he himself forced to flee to London, where he died a few weeks later "a ruined and heart-broken man"; the rich promise of the "Shepheards' Calendar" had been amply fulfilled in the "Complaints," "Amoretti," "Colin Clout's Come Home Again," the "Epithalamium" the finest bridal song in any language, and above all in the six published books of "The Faërie Queene" (1589 and 1596), in which all his gifts and graces as a poet are at their best; "He may be read," says Professor Saintsbury, "in childhood, chiefly for his adventure; in later youth, for his display of voluptuous beauty; in manhood, for his historical and ethical weight; in age, for all combined" (1552-1599).

The Nuttall Encyclopaedia. . 1907.

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  • Spenser, Edmund — born 1552/53, London, Eng. died Jan. 13, 1599, London English poet. Little is known for certain about his life before he entered the University of Cambridge. His first important publication, The Shepheardes Calender (1579), can be called the… …   Universalium

  • SPENSER, Edmund — (1552 1599) Edmund Spenser was the outstanding nondramatic poet of the English Re­naissance and Reformation, the author of numerous poetical works, most notably the epic romance The Fairie Queene (1590 96). He was known as a poet s poet ; his… …   Renaissance and Reformation 1500-1620: A Biographical Dictionary

  • Spenser, Edmund — (ca. 1552 1599)    English poet. He is best known for his allegorical romance The Faerie Queene (1590, 1596). Born in London, he was educated at the Merchant Taylors School, an institution that emphasized the value of humanistic education to pre… …   Historical Dictionary of Renaissance

  • Spenser, Edmund — (?1552 1599)    Born in London and educated at the Merchant Taylors School, he graduated from Pembroke College, Cambridge University, in 1576. He fought in Ireland and was awarded lands in Cork, including Kilkolman Castle Cork. His pamphlet View… …   British and Irish poets

  • Spenser, Edmund — ► (1552? 99) Poeta renacentista inglés. Autor del poema épico caballeresco La reina de las hadas (1590). * * * (1552/53, Londres, Inglaterra–13 ene. 1599, Londres). Poeta inglés. Poco se sabe con certeza de su vida previo a su ingreso a la… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Spenser,Edmund — Spen·ser (spĕnʹsər), Edmund. 1552? 1599. English poet known chiefly for his allegorical epic romance The Faerie Queene (1590 1596). His other works include the pastoral Shepeardes Calendar (1579) and the lyrical marriage poem Epithalamion (1595) …   Universalium

  • Spenser, Edmund —  (1552–1599) English poet …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Spenser, Edmund — (1552? 1599)    Poet, was b. in East Smithfield, London, the s. of John S., described as gentleman and journeyman in the art of cloth making, who had come to London from Lancashire. In 1561 the poet was sent to Merchant Taylor s School, then… …   Short biographical dictionary of English literature

  • Spenser — Spenser, Edmund …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Edmund Spencer — Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (* um 1552 in London; † 13. Januar 1599 in London) war ein englischer Dichter, älterer Zeitgenosse und eines der Vorbilder William Shakespeares. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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