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100 Great Writers
100 Great Writers
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Why Is Aeso p popularwith c hildren all ov er
theworld7
You must have heard and read many of
Aesop's fables, l ike The Fox a nd the Grapes' and
The Tortoise and the Hare.' But do you know
who Aesop was? He was a Greek slave who lived
about 2,500 years ago. He was a great storyteller,
and his master delighted in hearing his tales. In
fact, it was his learning and his wit that earned
him his freedom.
After he was free, Aesop travelled to several
countries, and met many wise men with whom
he held long discussions. Once he was asked by
the king to distribute a large sum of gold
amongst the citizens of Delphi. However, he
found them to be very greedy and unworthy of
such a gift, and so he sent the money back to the
king. This enraged the citizens of Delphi, and
they had him publicly executed like a criminal.
This was a sad end for such a great man. But it
is said that the Gods punished the citizens of
Delphi for their crime. Cala mity after calamity
befe l l them u ntil they were forced to repent
having killed Aesop. Thus the phrase 'the blood
of Aesop' cam e to mean that the deeds of those
who do wron g will surely be punis hed.
Aesop never wrote any of his stories down. How
ever, many years after his death, people started
to write down his fab les. Over the centuries,
Aesop' s fabl es have been translated into a lmost
every lan gua ge in the world. His stories remai n
popul ar to thi.s day b�ca u se each o ne teaches us
a moral i n an Interesting and uni que way.
Tel l Me Why
4
Why Is Hesiod said to be 'a hater of
women'?
Hesiod lived in Greece during the eighth
century B.C. His two most important con
tributions are 'Works and Days', and the
'Theogony'. I n 'Works and Days', Hesiod
divided time into five ages. The first is the
Golden Age, ruled by (ronos, when people
lived extremely long lives 'without sorrow
of heart'. The second is the Silver Age,
ruled by Zeus. The third is the Bronze Age,
an epoch of war, the fourth is the Heroic
Age, which was the time of the Trojan War.
The fifth and last age, is the Iron Age which
is the corrupt present. The 'Theogony'
presents the descent of the gods, and is
one of the key documents for Greek my
thology.
Hesiod is regarded as a hater of women
for his description of Pandora, the first
woman. According to his story, before
Pandora, mankind led a happy existence,
free from illness and suffering. However,
Pandora changed all that. Although she
was very beautiful, her curiosity unleashed
sickness and evil into the world. So accord
ing to Hesiod, women
are responsible for all
the suffering in the
world. Obviously, he
had a deep seated ha
tred for women!
1 00 Great Writers 5
who were the go d
desses of the Arts,
appeared to Hesiod
in a mist. This mysti
cal experience im
pelled Hesiod to
write epic poetry.
The reason for
Hesiod's writing of
the 'Works and
Days' was a dispute
between him and
his brother Perses
over the distribu
tion of his father's
land. After Hesiod
Greek currency note portraying lost a lawsuit to his
the epic poet Hesiod brother Perses, he
left his homeland
Why was Hesiod a great a uthor of the and moved to
Greek classical era? Naupactus. Accord
Hesiod was a Greek epic poet who flour ing to the legend
ished in Boeotia around 700 B.C. He, along about his death, he
side Homer, was the most respected of the
old Greek poets. His epic poem 'Theogony'
describes the origins of the gods, and his
'Works and Days' deals with subjects like
farming, morality and country life. He was
also the author of a large number of lost or
fragments of poems.
Hesiod probably l ived shortly after Hom
er, i n a village called Ascra. He worked as a
shepherd in the mountains, and then, as a
peasant on a hard land when his father
d ied. While tending his flock, the Muses,
6 Tel l Me Why
Why is Sappho important amongst a n
cient Greek poets
Sappho is the most famous of the ancient
Greek women poets. She lived on the island
of Lesbos, and taught young women there.
She is thought to have been born around 6 1 0
B.C., and to have d ied in about 570.
Sappho wrote her poems primari ly as a
tribute to the private world of women, some
thing which was very rare i n Greek literature.
Therefore, the poems provide us with a valu
able and remarkable glimpse i nto the l ives
and aspirations of Greek g i rls. Sappho wrote
moving lyric poetry. A poetic meter was
named in honour of her. She wrote odes to
the goddesses, especially Aphrodite, and
sang joyfully ofthe beautiful deity. I n fact, her
poems are like g raceful gifts to this golden
goddess of love.
Sappho also wrote about herself, her wom
en's community, and her times. Her writing
about her times was very different from her
contemporary male writers, whose poetry
was more political. Thus, Sappho's impor
tance l ies in that she gave us a woman's point
of view at a time when men dominated the Statue of
Sappho
literary world.
12 Tell Me Why
Philemon eventually became a citizen.
Philemon was a poet of the Of the 97 comedies he wrote,
Athenian New Comedy. Hewas some 60 titles survive in Greek
noted for his neatly contrived fragments and Latin adapta
plots, vivid description, dra tions. Philemon was a contem
matic surprises, and moraliz porary and rival of Menander,
ing. By 328 B.C., he was produc whom he is said to have van
ing plays in Athens, where he quished in poetical contests.
16 Tel l Me Why
Why is Kalldasa hailed as
the greatest of ancient Indian
writers?
Kalidasa was India's g reatest
Sanskrit poet
and d ramatist
who lived dur
ing the fifth cen
tury. His most fa
mous works are
thedramas'Abhi
j nanashaku nta
lam' or The Rec
ognition of Afamous painting of
S h a ku ntala, Raja Ravi Varma, based on
'Vi kra morvashi- Abhijnanashakuntalam
yam' or Urvashi Won by Valour
and 'Malavikagnimitram' or of his ignorance and coarse
Malavika and Agnimitra. He also ness. A devoted worshipper of
wrote the epic poems 'Raghuvan the goddess Kali - his name
sham' and 'Kumarasambhavam' means l iterally Kal i's slave - Kali
and the lyric 'Meghadutam'. dasa is said to have called upon
According to legend, Kalidasa his goddess for help and was
was so handsome that he caught rewarded with a sudden and
the attention of a princess who extraordina ry gift of wit. He is
married him. However, as leg then said to have become the
end has it, Kalidasa had g rown most brilliant of the 'nine gems'
up without much education, at the court of the fabulous king
and the princess was ashamed Vikramaditya of Ujjain.
caped from Troy when the valia nt fighting Trojans the an
G reeks captured it during the cestors of the Romans. The Ae
Trojan War. lt i s the story of how neid achieved the status of a
Aeneas and his men travelled classic even be�
from Troy to Italy to found the ished, makin& ��
city of Rome. This makes the his own life�
100 G reat Writers
Bhavabuti
Bhava bhuti was
an eighth century
scholar of India
noted for his plays
and poetry, written
in Sanskrit. He is
best known as the
author of three
plays. The first is
' M a h a v i rac h a r i
tam' orthe 'Exploits
of the Great Hero',
which gives in sev
en acts the main in
cidents in the
Ramayana upto the
defeat of Ravana
and the coronation
ofRama.Hissecond
great work is 'Mala
timadhavam',
which is a domestic
drama in 10 acts
and the third is 'Ut
tararamacharitam'
which deals with
Why did Vishn u Sharma write the
Rama's later life.
Panchatantra?
Bhavabuti's plays
are noted for their
You must be fam iliar with the Pan
suspense and vivid
chatantra fables, but did you know
c h aracte riza t i o n that they were written a round 200
and they rival the B.C. by a great H indu scholar called
outstanding plays Vishnu Sharma? He was asked by
of the great writer Amarasakti, the ruler of a South Indian
Kalidasa. kingdom to teach his three sons poli
tics and diplomacy. But unfortunately,
18 Tel l Me Why
the princes were
not interested in
learning at all! Vish Chanakya - A
nu Sharma quickly Man of Foresight
realized that it Chanakya, also
would not be easy known as Kautilya or
to teach them Vishnugupta, was a teacher
through conven of political science at the Tak
tional methods. He shashila University and later
had to find a more theprimeministerofthe emperor
creative way of Chandragupta Maurya. He is re
teaching them, and garded as one of the earliest known
political thinkers, economists, and
he hit upon the idea
king-makers. His vision was to create
of writing short sto
an Indian Empire by uniting the nu
ries that contained
merous kingdoms of the Indian sub
a lesson. This col
continent so that they could fight to
lection of stories is
gether against Alexander the Great.
the Panchatantra. His foresight and wide knowledge,
The Panchatantra coupled with his shrewd politics helped
is the oldest collec to found the mighty Mauryan Empire in
tion of I ndian fables. India. He compiled his political ideas
The word 'Pancha into the 'Arthashastra', one of the
tantra' means 'the world's earliest treatises on political
five books'. The col thought and social or
lection isalso known der. His ideas remain
as a 'Nitishastra' popular to this day
which means book in India.
of wise conduct in
life. The moral and
philosophical
themes of these
stories of Vishnush
arma have stood
the test of time and
hold true even in
the modern age.
1 00 Great Writers 19
the g reatest marvels in the l it
erature of the world. Veda Vyasa
was the sage who gave the
world this storehouse of real
ism, wisdom, and compassion.
He is also the author of the
Brahma Sutras, and is consid
ered an i ncarnation of Lord
Vishnu h imself.
Is Veda Vyasa consId Veda Vyasa was a genius by
ered to be immortal? birth. He performed rigorous
The 'Mahabharata' is one of penance and practiced austerity
1 00 G reat Writers 29
1 2th century whose home was in Ganja,
the capital of Arran in Transcaucasian Az
erbaijan. He lived in a n age of both politi
cal instability and intense intellectua l ac
tivity, which his poems reflect. However,
little is known about his life, his relations
with his patrons, or the precise dates of
his works. N izami Ganjavi was married
three times, and in his poems, he laments
the death of each of his wives, and gives
advice to his son Muhammad.
Nizami is best known for his five long
narrative poems, of which the 'Haft
Paykar', completed in 1197, is his ac
knowledged masterpiece. He will always
Statue ofNizami
be remembered for being the first poet in
Ganjavi
Eastern literature to describe women as
Why is Nizami having high human qualities. He proved
Ganj avi remem- that women can participate i n many fields
bered to this day? on equal terms with men, and according
Nizami Ganjavi was to him, only a hardworking man is worthy
a classical poet of the of respect and love!
Yoshida Kenko
Yoshida Kenko, who started his career as a Japanese court of
ficial, also emerged as a celebrated poet. At the age of 41, he be
came a Zen Buddhist monk. Kenko's Essays contain 243 sections
jJ
of various lengths. In Kenko's writ-
ings, we see the Buddhist ideals of
�
naturalness, humility, simplicity, and
meditation worked out in relation to
daily affairs. Kenko wrote on a wide
.\ r. �.>
range of subjects, from ardent love, �7l�'ME:�--6-.f�c.�
�-
30 Tel l Me Why
Why is Shakespeare consid theatre near London. Shake
ered the uncrowned king of speare wrote some of his great
English literature? est tragic and comic works
Who has not heard of William around this time. He created
Shakespeare? He was an Eng Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and
lish poet, dramatist and actor, Macbeth, as wel l as Twelfth
and considered by many to be Night, and Measure for Measure
the uncrowned king of English here. Shakespeare's works were
l iterature. Nothing is known for so popular that even Queen
certai n about Shakespeare's Elizabeth I of England
early years. There a re stories had them performed
that he joined a theatrical com for her. Despite hav
pany, or that he worked as a ing been written hun
schoolteacher. Whatever the dreds of years ago,
case, Shakespeare had become Shakespeare's work
known as a dramatist and a n remains popular be
actor i n London by 1592. Some cause of his engaging
of his early works include 'Titus characters,interesting
Andronicus', and 'The Two Gen plots, and a rtful dialogues.
tleman of Verona'. Shakespeare is credited with
Shakespeare published his 39 plays, including Romeo and
first work i n 1593, which was Juliet, and Julius Caesar. He also
the narrative poem Ven us and wrote 154 sonnets, and several
Adonis. Later, he earned great major poems, some of which
praise for his sonnets. A sonnet are considered to be the most
is a type of poem that has three brilliant pieces of English litera
four-line sections with a pair of ture ever written. His writings
lines at the end, all fol lowing a have been translated i nto more
special rhyming scheme. languages than those of any
He worked with a group as a other author, and his plays and
dramatist, an actor, and a part poems have been read by peo
owner for many years. I n 1599, ple all overtheworld forgenera
the company built the Globe, a tions.
1 00 G reat Writers 31
The Renaissance
Renaissance means rebirth. The Renaissance Era is gener
ally regarded as the revival of art and literature under the
influence of classical models in the 14th_16th centuries. It
was a period of artistic freedom that began in Florence, Ita
ly. During the period, new printing techniques, music, and
musical ideas reached the people.
32 Tel l Me Why
writer at all - and none of his
plays seemed to have been put
on in Stratford during his life,
which seems rather odd.
Finally when he died, Shake
speare didn't leave any letters
or diaries that referred to his
writing career at all. No one has
English speakers can boast of a ever found any early drafts of a
4000-word vocabulary, Shake play, or indeed any play of his
speare's vocabulary spanned writings either.
over 29,000 words. In fact, So then, who did write his
Shakespeare coined many of plays? Many names have been
the terms that are now used in suggested, including Queen
everyday speech. Words like Elizabeth I, Christopher Mar
'amazement','gloomy', 'zany', lowe, the Earl of Oxford, Roger
and 'equivocal' were first used by Man ners and the Ea rl of Rutla nd.
none other than Shakespeare. But remember, these are just
Why is there a controversy doubts raised by a few people.
about William S h a kespeare? To the world at large, William
Some people have suggested Shakespeare was undoubtedly,
that Shakespeare didn't really one of the giants of English lit
write 'his' plays. The idea that in erature.
fact, someone else wrote Shake
Stratjord- Upon-Avon, the birth
speare's plays has been around place ofShakespeare
for hundreds of years, and has
become known as the 'author
ship controversy'. People have
a rgued that Shakespeare was a
simple country boy who could
not possibly have written in
such detail about life in court.
Moreover, in his hometown of
Stratford, no one seems to have
known that Shakespeare was a
1 00 G reat Writers 33
What was Christopher Marlowe's great Shakespeare
est contribution to English literature? and Plutarch
Christopher Marlowe was born in Canter Plutarch had a
bury in 1 564, the same year as his great rival tremendous in
William Shakespeare. Marlowe was a short fluence on the
tempered man, quickto anger, and to make writings of Wil
enemies. He spent two weeks in Newgate liam Shake
jail in 1589, charged with murder, though speare. This is
��;;:;::;;:;:;:
;:;: ==:;:;:;;;;;:;::;;;:;::;
;:;: ;;:;::;
;:;: ;;:;::;
;:;: " ;:;: he was later ac especially true in
quitted. the case of 'Ju
Marlowe's dra lius Caesar', and
'Antony and
matic career
Cleopatra' •
spanned only six
Shakespeare
short years. In that
based these
time, he wrote The
plays on what he
Jew of Malta', The had read from
Tragical History of Plutarch's 'Lives
Doctor Faustus', of Noble Gre
'The Queen of cians and Ro
Carthage','Edward mans'. Though
1 1', and 'The Mas he based the
sacre at Paris'. His events in these
work ranged from plays mostly on
A stone monument of
William Shakespeare tragedy to histori- Plutarch's biog
_______ cal drama. He also raphy, he also
wrote popular poetry such as 'Hero and Le made additions
ander', and 'The Passionate Shepherd'. to Plutarch's sto
His greatest contribution to English thea ry for his own
tre was his influential use of blank verse in dramatic pur
writing his dramatic works. Blank verse is poses. We can
' say that he
verse in which the lines do not rhyme as
they do in conventional poetry. However, sometimes gave
the lines a re set to a regular beat or metre. a twist to history
Marlowe was the first to use blank verse in in order to de
velop character
drama, but William Shakespeare soon fol
and theme.
lowed his example to great acclaim.
34 Tel l Me Why
Why is Ben Johnson also got him into
renowned? trouble with the au
Ben Jonson was a thorities.
poet, essayist and Ben Jonson was
playwright. In 1 598, also a great writer
Jonson wrote what of masques, which
is considered his fi rst involved music and
great play, 'Every dancing, singing and
Man in His Humour'. acting, and elabo
Ben Jonson rate stage settings.
Did you know that
Shakespeare acted in In 1 6 1 6, Ben Jonson
one of jonson's plays in 1 6 1 6? was appointed Poet Laureate
His plays were comedies that which was a prestigious posi
had eccentric characters in them, tion with a substantial pay. He
and were very popular. Jonson is generally regarded as the
presented a tragedy, too, in second most important dram
1 603, titled 'Sejanus'. However, atist after William Shakespeare
the play was u n popular, and it during the reign of James I.
1 00 Great Writers 35
Why is Ihara Saikaku fa
mous in Japan?
Why is Matsuo Basho re
Ihara Saikaku was a poet garded as the master of
and novelist and one of the haiku poetry?
most brilliant figures of the Matsuo Basho was a
1 7th century revival of Japa
Japanese poet and writer
nese litera
who lived in the 1 7th century.
ture. Saikaku
He took his pen name Basho
began his
from his 'basho-an', which
literary ca-
was a hut made of plantain
reer as a
leaves, to where he would go
haikai poet.
A haikai is a to write his poems in peace.
comic linked Born of a wealthy fami-
Japa nese
verse form. Matsuo Basho
Saikaku as
tonished his
contem po
raries with
his skill at
composing sequences of
thousands of stanzas in a sin
gle sitting.
His writing captures the
way of the townspeople,
which was slowly replacing
the ways of the warriors.
At the age of 40, Saikaku
published his fi rst work
of fiction, 'The Life of an
Amorous Man', which was a
great success. This was fol
lowed by about two dozen
books during the last decade
of his life.
36
Why is William Tyndale called 'the a r
.
Iy, Basho was a c hitect of the English language?'
Samurai, or war William Tyndale was a preacher and
rior, until the age scholar who trans
of 20, at which lated the Bible into
time he devoted an early form of
modern English. He
himself to his po
was skilled in eight
etry.
languages-Hebrew,
Basho was the
Greek, Latin,
main figure in
Spanish, French,
the development
Italian, English, and
of haiku, which
German! Both the
is a short three
king and the Church
line poem con William Tyndale were again st his
sisting of 1 7 syl idea of a Bible trans
lables. He is con lation, and he had to leave the country.
sidered to have The printing of the English New
written the most Testament was begun at Cologne in 1 525.
perfect exam Tyndale was the fi rst to use Gutenberg'S
ples of this form movable-type press for printing the scrip
of poetry. His po tures in English.
etry explores the The commentaries in his translation pro
beauties of na moted views that were opposed by the
ture, and is in Church. Tyndale's translation was banned,
fluenced by Zen and Tyndale himself was burned at the
Buddh ism. stake in 1 536. He was a true scholar and is
Basho's most called the 'ar
famous work chitect of the
was 'Oku no English lan
Hosomichi' guage' as so
(Narrow Road to many of the
the Deep North). phrases that he
This was pub invented are
lished in 1 702 af stil l in our lan
ter his death. guage today
1 00 G reat Writers 37
Why was Thomas More execut
ed?
Thomas More was a successful law
yer and scholar who wrote a popular
book called 'Utopia', a bout an imag
inary world that was perfect in eve
ry way. HenryVl 1 i a ppointed him to
many high posts and missions, and
finally, made him Lord Chancellor in
1 529. However, he resigned in 1 532,
Thomas Campion when he disagreed with Henry's
opinions regarding marriage and
Thomas Campion the supremacy of the Pope.
Thomas Campion
was a physician, a com Thomas More
poser, and a poet. His
first published works
were five songs, which
appeared in 1591, and
his first collection of
poems, was published
in Latin in 1595. By
1597, Campion had
focused his attention
almost completely on
writing the words and
music for songs. The
lyrics in his works are
distinguished by their
fine musical quality.
Campion died on March
1, 1620, in London,
probably of the plague.
He never married and
died with only twenty
three pounds to his
name!
38 Tel l Me Why
Thomas More plays and farces. Sad ly, 'Ralph
spent the rest Roister Doister,' was not pub
of his life in wr lished until after the author's
iting, mostly death.
in defense of
the Church. I n
1 534, he re
fused to ac
cept the King
as the Head of
the Church of England and was
confined to the tower. Fifteen
months later, he was tried and
convicted of treason. He told
the court that he could not go
against his conscience, and
told his judges that he hoped
they would meet again in
heaven! He was beheaded on John Skelton
July 6, 1 535.
Why is Nicholas Udall asso John Skelton
ciated with English comedy? John Skelton's birth and
Nicholas Udall, an English rank are unknown, yet he
schoolmaster, was a translator, rose to become one of the
playwright and author. closest advisors of King
Udall's play 'Ralph Roister Henry VII. He made fun of the
Doister' is regarded as the fi rst Catholic Church, but the king
complete English comedy. appointed him to its clergy.
The play is distinguished by He was praised as the most
its elements of native English gifted poet in England, yet
h umour. It is about a brag soon after his death, he was
gart soldier-hero who is final almost entirely forgotten.
ly shown to be a coward. The Only in the twentieth century
play was remarkable because it was Skelton rediscovered,
marks the emergence of come after nearly 500 years!
dy from the medieval morality
1 00 G reat Writers 39
What were the
Earl of Surrey's con
tributions to poet-
Henry Howard,
Earl of Surrey was
a mighty soldier. I n
1 537, he fell out of
favour at the court.
He was imprisoned
in Windsor, and
his famous poem
'Prisoned in Windsor'
in which he recal l s
his boyhood days in
Windsor, was written
in the same year. He
was later released, Earl of Surrey - a painting
and came back into
favour. But by 1 546, was executed on January 1 9, 1 547 on
he had fallen out of Tower Hill.
favour again, and Surrey's works consist primarily of son
nets and poems. Along with Sir Thomas
Wyatt, he was responsible for bringing
the sonnet from Italy into English poetry
in his translations of Virgil. Surrey was also
the fi rst English poet to publish in blank
verse. Most of his poetry was published
posthumously in 1 557, ten years after his
death.
s Shakespeare h n ked to George
5 0 g e'
George Gascoigne was a soldier and
poet and was the most versatile writ
er belonging to the fi rst half of the reign
of Queen Elizabeth I. He translated from
40 Tel l Me Why
Ariosto, the prose come er than nine pieces. He be
dy 'Gli-Suppositi' under the ti came famous with the publi
tle of The Supposes'. It is the cation of the prose romance
fi rst comedy written in English 'Euphues' or 'The Anatomy of
prose. Wit.' He also wrote a sequel,
He also translated from and he started a writing style
the Italian the prose tale known as Euphuism, from the
of 'J e ro n i m i ' , word 'Euphues' which means
which was per 'graceful' in Greece. This style
haps the fi rst has two distinct features. The
novel print sentences a re very elaborate,
ed in English. and there are plenty of prov
He wrote the erbs, similes and incidents
mock heroic from history adorning the
poem of Dan prose. He also wrote several
Bartholom prose comedies for children.
ew, and wrote George Lyly had a strong influence
three acts Gascoigne on other writers of his time, in
of 'Jocasta',the cluding William Shakespeare
fi rst adaptation of a Greek trag whose 'Hamlet', 'Love's Labour
edy performed on the English Lost' and 'Much Ado about
stage. George also prepared Nothing' a l l show the im
masques for Queen Elizabeth pact that Lyly had on him.
and the The Steel Glass', the
fi rst extensive English satire.
Perhaps his g reatest trib
ute is the fact that William
Shakespeare used George's
comedy 'The Supposes' as a
source for his play 'The Taming
of the Shrew.'
What was Jo n Lyly's contri
bution to Engl s h Lite ature?
John Lyly was the fi rst English
writer who wrote several com
edies. He produced no few-
1 00 Great Writers 41
enced the other writers of his
time. Generations of readers
�
students, and scholars have ad
mired him for his unbounded
imagination, his immense clas
sical and religious learning, his
keen understanding of mora l
a n d political philosophy, and
ultimately, his abilityto delight.
Why is Miguel Cervantes'
work the origi n of the word
.
UIXO IC '
Miguel Cervantes was a nov
elist, playwright, and poet and
Edmond Spenser the creator of Don Quixote, the
most famous figure in Spanish
Which work was Edmond
literature. As a child, Cervantes
Spenser's masterpiece?
led an adventurous life, trav
Born around 1 552 , Edmund
Spenser was known as 'the elling around Spain with his
prince of poets'. His master father, who sold medicines.
piece is undoubtedly 'The When he g rew up, he went to
Faerie Queen', a romantic epic. Italy and joined a Spanish reg-
fI
Since Spenser was not born
into a wealthy family, he need
ed a patron to provide for his
support while he worked. Pa
trons expect that the artists
they supported to write flat
tering words. This was cer
tainly the case with Spenser's
work, 'The Faerie Queen',
which flatters Elizabeth I. In this
work, Spenser presents his ide
as of what constitutes an ideal
England. Spenser g reatly influ-
42
iment in Naples. He yvas once
captured by pirates, and spent
five years as a slave until his
family could raise enough mon
ey to pay his ransom.His fi rst
play was based on his experi
ences as a captive. He suffered
bankruptcy and was impris
oned at least twice. However,
it is generally believed that
Cervantes was honest, but
a victim of circumstances.
His greatest work is 'Don
Quixote' that he wrote while
in prison. His idea was to give a
picture of real life and manners
and to express himself in clear
language, in simple words and
everyday forms of speech. The
book gives a panoramic view
of the 1 7th century Spanish so
ciety. The central characters
MigueZ Cervantes
are an elderly, idealistic knight,
who sets out on his old horse
to seek adventure, and a ma man reading beside the road
terialistic squire Sancho Panza, and laughing so much that
who accompanies his master the tears were rolling down
from one failure to another. his cheeks. The king said, 'That
In fact, the book inspired the man is either crazy or he is
word 'quixotic' which means reading Don Quixote!" Is it any
'foolishly impractical though wonder that the book's been
inspired by high ideals.' around for four hundred years,
The book was a g reat suc and has inspired virtually eve
cess. According to a story, King ry literary movement from the
Philip III of Spa i n once saw a eighteenth-century onwards?
1 00 G reat Writers 43
returned home safely, and
even composed an epic poem
during his six month voyage.
Lope was the fi rst Spanish
dramatist to make his living as
a playwright. He wrote romanc
es, verse histories of recent
events, verse biographies of
saints, prose tales, and poems.
Most of Lope's plays revolve
around the conflicting claims of
love and honour. His most pop
Lope de Vega
ular work is 'The Sheep Well'.
Why is Calderon famous
Why was Lope de Vega con as a Spanish dramatist?
sidered to be a prodigy? Pedro Calderon was a dram
Lope de Vega was a prolific atist and poet who succeed
playwright, pioneer of Spanish ed Lope de Vega as the great
drama. He was the author of as est Spanish playwright of the
many as 1 800 comedies and Golden Age. He wrote his fi rst
several hundred shorter dra play when he was only thir-
matic pieces, of which about
500 have been printed. His l ife
was as dramatic as his plays.
As a chi ld, Lope was con
sidered to be a prodigy. He
started to compose verses at
an early age, before he could
use a pen. At the age of ten
he started to translate po- ,
ems from Latin, and at twelve
Lope wrote his fi rst play!
He joined the Spanish
Armada, but escaped the fate
of many of his fellow soldiers
Pedro Calderon
in the war against Britain. He
44 Tel l Me Why
teen. Calderon was stil l very
·
young when he was commis
sioned by Philip IV to write
a series of plays for the roy-
Francisco de Quevedo
Francisco de Quevedo
was a writer of the Spanish
Golden Age. Quevedo's
a l theatre in the Buen Retiro. style relied on the use
Calderon's early plays had been of wit and elaborate
of a secular natu re. However, metaphors. It reflected
his later dramas were deeply of his own somewhat
religious in theme and treat cynical attitude towards
ment. In fact, many commen literature as a whole.
tators think that Calderon was Quevedo was fiercely
at his best as a writer of 'autos,' distrustful of complicated
which are religious plays that literature, and he
resemble the English Mystery attempted to introduce a
plays of the Middle Ages. style of poetry that was,
Calderon's works are mark for his time, remarkably
ed by intense devotion to clean and concise. A
the church, absolute loyal gifted novelist as well,
ty to the king, and a high Quevedo was notorious
ly developed sense of hon as a master satirist, and
he used his considerable
our. Probably the best known
talent for mockery to
of his dramatic works is the
make fun of other writers.
secular play, 'Life is a Dream'.
1 00 G reat Writers 45
and scholar who led the life of
a criminal. He killed a priest in
1 455, then joined a criminal
organization and became in
volved in robbery, theft, and
brawling. I mprisoned sever
al times, he received a death
sentence in 1 462, which
was changed to banishment.
His works were published af
Francois Villon ter his death and they were in
the form of bequests to friends
Why was the poet Francois and acquaintances. His famo
Villon different from other us work 'The Testament' re
writers of his day? views his life with great emo
Francois Villon was a poet tional and poetic depth.
46 I Me y
the 1 8th century verse. Besides
poems, Milton published pam
phlets defending civil and re
ligious rights. I n 1 65 1 , Milton
became blind. However, blind
ness helped him to stimulate his
verbal richness. Milton's mas
terpiece is 'Paradise Lost ,' which
tells the biblical story of Adam
and Eve, who were tempted
by Satan into disobeying God.
It is an extremely long poem,
How did John Donne's po and amazingly, it was com
etry reflect his life? posed entirely in Milton's head,
John Donne trained as a law and dictated to members of his
yer, but his fi rst job was as a family. This epic poem in blank
government official. He secret verse was divided into twelve
ly married his employer's niece, books, and M ilton declared
and his earliest poems a re some that his aim in writing it was to
of the most passionate love po justify the ways of God to men.
ems ever written. Later on, he
became a priest, and his poet
ry changed too. He now dealt
mostly with religious themes.
His most famous poem,
'Death be not Proud' re
mains one of the all time clas
sics of English Literature.
Why is 'Paradise Lost' one of
the greatest a mongst English
poems?
John Milton was one of the
g reatest of English poets. His
powerful prose and the elo
q uence of his poetry had an im
John Milton
mense influence, especially on
' 00 G reat Writers 47
tive forms, and peppered them with
broad popular humour. With h is flood
of outrageous ideas and anecdotes,
Rabelais emphasized the physical joys
of life - food, d rink, and bodily func
tions- and mocked asceticism and op
pressive religious and political forces. I n
fact, though Rabelais constantly made
his readers laugh, his books are also im
portant, because they brought to light
How did Francois and attacked the worst political, educa
Rabelais make his tional and political abuses of his time.
reade s laugh'
Why is Thomas Nashe's 'The
Francois Rabelais U nfortunate Traveller' called a pica
was a Franciscan resque novel '
monk, humanist, and Thomas Nashe belonged to a circle of
physician, whose com writers who came to London during the
ic novels 'Garga ntua' reign of Queen Elizabeth I and wrote
a n d ' Pa nt a g r u e l ' a re for the stage and the press. Using the
a mong the most hila r pen name 'Pasquil' Nashe wrote sever
ious classics of world al pamphlets, and was also involved in
literature. These books several literary controversies.
describe the adven
tures of a giant father Francois Rabelais
and son, both of whom
have enormous a ppe
tites. Rabelais made
his readers laugh by
having his rude but
funny giants travel in
a world ful l of g reed,
stupidity, violence,
and grotesque jokes.
Rabelais mixed i n
h is books elements
from different narra-
48 Tel l Me Why
Thomas Kyd
Thomas Kyd was one
of the most important of
the English Elizabethan
dramatists who preced
ed Shakespeare. Kyd's best
known play, 'Th e Spanish
I n 1 592 Nashe wrote 'Pierce Tragedy', was the most pop
Pennilesse', a short book u lar and influential trag
about a writer so sick of being edy of Elizabethan times.
broke he decides to try a new In its day, 'The Spanish
patron - the Devil. It was an in Tragedy' was even more
stant hit. I n 1 593, he was jailed popu lar than Shakespeare's
by the London authorities for plays, a n d it continued to
criticizing them in a religious be performed throughout
pamphlet, 'Christ's Tears'. Four the Elizabethan period. The
years later, Nashe co-wrote a only other play which can be
play called The Isle of Dogs.' It attributed to Kyd with cer
caused such uproar that all tainty is 'Cornelia', which h e
the theatres were closed and adapted from a French play
Nashe himself had to clear out by Robert Garnier.
of London, barely escaping ar
rest.
During his career, Nashe
tried different types of writing,
and his novel The U nfortunate
Traveller' is thought to have
been the fi rst picaresque nov
el. A picaresque novel was an
early form of novel which was a
fi rst person account of the ad is admired for his fi re and inde
ventures of a rogue as he drifts pendence, and his new way of
from place to place. Nashe handling words. Nashe,s live
wrote about the wild over ly style survived him and has
seas adventures of a young had a big effect on subsequent
ster called Jack Wilton. Nashe writers.
1 00 Great Writers 49
Why is Joh n Fletcher considered a
great comedy playwright?
John Fletcher came from a family which
has given many d istinguished names
to English literature. He collaborated
with Francis Beaumont and other drama
tists on comedies and tragedies between
a bout 1 606 and 1 625. Fletcher seems to
John Webster
have preferred comedy and this is cer
Joh n Webster tainly what he is best-known for.
John Webster was The first of the plays that Fletcher wrote
to be the last of the in collaboration with Francis Beaumont
great Elizabethan was 'The Woman-Hater' but their most
playwrights. It was famous play was the uproariously-fun
mankind's anguish ny 'Knight of the Burning Pestle'. They
a n d evil which cap even made fun of the audience, espe
tured h is i magina cially people who liked to sit on the stage
tion. But his verse and i nterfere with the play. After the im
is poetry of the mense success of this play, Beaumont
highest order, a n d and Fletcher never looked back. It was
holds its o w n with a sad day for English
the best poets of theatre when Francis
the period. H i s most Beaumont died pre
famous works are maturely of a fever in
'The White Devil' 1 6 1 6.
and 'The D u chess Fletcher's fi rst re
of Malfi'. After 'The corded sole-author
Duchess of Malfi' ship play was 'The
Webster lapsed Faithful Shepherdess',
into mostly sec and he continued
ond-rate work. H e to write plays on his
John Fletcher own. These included
died i n t h e 1 630's,
and after his death, a historical tragedy, comedies, a political
Elizabethan thea drama and a tragedy. His plays a re fast
tre began to de moving, well-constructed, and, in the
cline. <;ase of the comedies, still funny.
50 Tel l Me Why
H ogarth Press by setting
and hand printing on an old
press 'Two Stories' by 'L. and V.
Woolf.' The volume was a suc
cess, and over the years they
published many i mportant
books.
Hogarth Press published the
best and most original work
that came to its attention, and
the Woolfs as publishers fa
voured young and unknown
writers. Virginia Woolf herself
was the author of about fif
Virginia Woolf teen books. The last, 'A Writer's
Diary', was published in 1 953 af
Why is Virginia Woolf cred ter her death. Her most famous
ited with re-inventing the works are 'Mrs. Dalloway', 'To
novel? the Lighthouse', and 'Jacob's
The English novelist, crit Room' as well as 'The Voyage
ic, and essayist Virginia Woolf Out,' and 'Night Out.' Virginia
ranks as one of Engla nd's most a lso wrote experimental nov
distinguished writers of the els and is credited with re-in
middle part of the twentieth venting the novel. She was
century. Her novels can per also a cham
haps best be described as i m pion of wom
pressionistic, which is a liter en's rights as
ary style which attempts to i n is seen from
spire impressions rather than her essay
recreating reality. I n 1 9 1 7, for 'A Room of
amusement, she and her hus One's Own.' � -----:--;.�__.......
band Leonard Woolf founded
1 00 Great Writers
Why is H.G.Wells known as
a writer of science fiction?
'
Herbert George Wells was
not only an author; he was
also a sociologist, journalist,
and a historian. He was a fan
tastic and very descriptive writ
er, and gained fame as an au
thor of science fiction, though as 'The World Set Free,' 'The
he wrote on other themes like Soul of a Bishop,' 'The Secret
politics and history also. Some Places of the Heart' and many
of H.G. Wells' most famous more.
books are 'War of the Worlds' In one of his books, 'War of
and 'The Time Machine.' He the Worlds,' H.G. Wells writes
wrote many other books, such about Martians attacking Earth.
54
P. B. Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major
English romantic poets widely considered
to be among the finest lyric poets in the
English language and the husband of Mary
Shelley. He combined powerful poetic
gifts with a questioning mind and made an
emotional and passionate appeal for the
social improvement of society. His greatest
works were 'Prometheus Unbound', 'To a
Skylark', and 'Adonais.' He drowned while
sailing off the Italian coast.
Mary SheUey
Mary Shelley was an English romantic
novelist, biographer, and editor who is
best known as the writer of 'Frankenstein'.
When she was just nineteen she visited
the poet Lord Byron with her lover Percy
Shelley- and she wrote the story after
Byron dared his guests to write ghost
stories. Mary wrote a really scary tale
about a scientist who created a monster
out of body parts, and the monster was
so terrifying that Mary and Frankenstein
became immortal!
George Orwell
George Orwell was a British novelist,
essayist, and critic. He served for five
years in the Burmese police, and
also lived for some time as a tramp
and dishwasher! His most famous
book was 'Animal Farm' in which he
attacked the Russian Revolution.
His other famous book 'Nineteen
Eighty Four', describes the horrors of
dictatorship.
George Orwell
eww �YTY?
England and wrote novels that
:o s e.
his works i ncluding
p o rt r a y e d
i nvented words I
A m e rica n s
puns and ill usions,
I i v i n g
and also complex
a broad .
and sym bolic par
He aimed
allels d rawn from
to create
mythology, history
c h a racters
and literature. He
that were
was a rebel, and his
so lifelike
writing was often
that read
strange and fa ntas
ers would
tic. Henry James
feel that
60 Tel l Me Why
h u nter and deep sea fisher
I' l l name my new man. He kil led hi mself with a
book "The Old Man
shotg u n i n 1 96 1 .
and the Sea"
H e publ ished his fi rst books,
cal led Th ree Stories and Ten
Poem s' in 1 923, and 'In Our
time' i n 1 924. H is mil itary ex
periences were reflected in
'--..-'<;;::;;:;;'F o r Whom the Bell Tolls' and
in several other stories. He set
tled near Havana, Cu ba, where
they were real people. As a he wrote 'The Old Man and
result, he wrote long descrip the Sea' for which he won a
tions that also made his books Pul itzer Prize, and the Nobel
very long! Prize for Literature. The book is
Why did Ernest Heming a bout an aged fi sherman who
way's writings reflect his ad is trying to catch a huge fish.
venturous life? His love for bullfighting is re
Earnest Hemi ngway is one of flected in his book 'Death i n
the greatest American writers t h e Afternoon.' I n short, h i s life
of all time. In 1 91 6, Hemingway was a colou rful and adventur
began his writing career as a ous one- and a l l the colour and
reporter. Six months later, he adventu re is captured in his
joi ned the Ambulance Corps writi ngs.
in World Wa r I and worked as
an ambulance driver on the
Italian front, picking up human
remai ns. I n J u ly 1 9 1 8, he was
seriously wounded by a mortar
shell that left shrapnel in both
of his legs. Hemingway partici
pated in the Spanish Civil War
and in the World War I I, by tak
ing part in the D-day i nvasion
of France. He loved bull fig ht
ing and was also a big game Ernest Hemingway
1 00 Great Writers 61
Why did Nathaniel Haw Why is Thomas Hardy con
thorne wr-ite about witch sidered immortal?
craft? Thomas Hardy is one of the
Nathaniel Hawthorne was a n immorta ls of English literature.
American novel ist a nd short He wrote from his personal
story writer. He is best known knowledge and experience,
for the novel The Scarlet and his stories were set in loca
Letter', set in colonial New tions that were fa miliar to h i m .
England, which is considered Hardy started b y writing po
to be one of the best America n etry, but later, he switched to
novels, and The House of the writing novels. At fi rst, he pub
Seven Ga bles,' wh ich is the sto lished a nonymously, but when
ry of a fa mily that lives u nder a people became i nterested i n
cu rse for generations. his works, he began to use h i s
Hawthorne's fa mily had been own name.
involved in rel igious persecu Hardy's novels were pub
tion for generations, a nd one of lished in serial form in maga
his ancestors was a judge who zines that were popu lar both in
had ordered the execution of England and America. His fi rst
in nocent peo popu lar novel was 'U nder the
A bracadebra! pie for being Greenwood Tree', published i n
witches. As a 1 872. The next great novel, 'Far
you ng man, from the Madding Crowd' was
Nathaniel had a huge success and other pop
been fascinat ular novels fol-
ed and deeply lowed in q u ick
moved by the succession.
fa mily story After a long
that this an and high
cestor was ly successful
cu rsed by one life, Thomas
of the convicted witches. This Hardy died on
greatly troubled Hawthorne, January 1 1,
and he wrote a bout the ha rsh 1 928, at the
attitude of the early American age of 87. His
people towa rds witchcraft. ashes were
62 Tel l Me Why
George El iot was one of the
lead ing writers of the Victorian
era. Mary Anne Evans's trans
formation i nto the fiction writ
er George Eliot began in 1 856,
when she decided to try her
hand at writing novels. Her
fi rst novel 'Adam Bede', was
a success and it was followed
by two more popular novels
'The Mill on the Floss' and 'Silas
Marner'.
Mary Anne Evans lived a con
troversial and u nconventional
Thomas Hardy
life that has been the subject
buried i n Poets' Corner at of much schola rly debate, and
Westminster Abbey. His works the study of many biographers.
wi ll live on forever. Her works sta nd on their own
Why did Mary Anne Evans making her one of the best of
write under the name George the Victorian writers.
Eliot?
Did you know that the fa
mous writer George Eliot was
actually a lady named Mary
Anne Eva ns? She used a male
pen name, she said, to ensure
that her works were taken se
riou sly, for in those days it was
believed that women cou ld
write only light hearted ro
mances. She chose 'George'
as her fi rst name as it was the
name of her lifelong compan
ion, George Lewes, and 'El iot'
because 'it was a good mouth
Mary Anne Evans
fi l ling word'!
1 00 G reat Writers 63
Why is 'Madame Bovary' tude, sometimes taking a week
considered Gustave to complete one page. He was
Flaubert' s masterpiece? never satisfied with what he
Flaubert was French novelist had composed, and violent
of the realist school. He aban ly tormented his brain for the
doned his law studies at age 22 best turn of a phrase, the most
for a life of writ absolutely final adjective. His
ing. As a writ other novels i nclude the exot
er, Flaubert was ic 'Salammbo', 'A Sentimental
a perfectionist, Education', The Temptation
and he believed of Saint Anthony' and Trois
that a novelist Contes'. But there is no doubt
should notjudge, at all that 'Madame Bovary'
teach, or explain, was his masterpiece.
but remain neu Why were the novels of
tra l. Flaubert Charles Dickens so popular?
is known best Charles Dickens was one of
for his sensa the most influential and g reat
tional 'Madame est writers of the Victorian era.
Bovary'. Written i n 1 857, i t i s From 1 837 till
a classic tale o f romance and 1 841 , Charles
retribution. The novel created took to writ
a storm, and its subject mat ing nov
ter and realistic treatment out els, but his
raged French society. Flaubert novels were
was brought before the court published i n
and acquitted- on charges of small parts
\
obscenity instead of
'Madame Bovary' remains at one time.
one of the most frequent He wrote
ly taught works of French lit novels like
erature both in France, and in 'Oliver Twist', CharlesDickens
universities across the world. 'Nicholas
The novel took five years to N ickelby', and The Old
complete. During this time, Curiosity Shop'. From 1 84 1
Flaubert worked in sullen soli- t o 1 860, Charles wrote a few
64 Tel l Me Why
more novels, which were Dickens was a sympathizer of
very much based on his per the poor, the suffering, and the
sonal experience. 'David oppressed and when he died,
Copperfield', 'Bleak House', 'A one of England's greatest writ
Tale of Two Cities", and 'Great ers was lost to the world.
Expectations', are among his
famous works during that pe
riod. Because his novels were
published in instalments in pe
riodicals, many more people
could afford to read them, as
periodicals were not as expen
sive as books. Moreover, each
instalment would end with
a hook that kept his readers
wondering what was coming Daniel Defoe
next, thus ensuring the sales of Daniel Defoe was an
the next instalment! observant reporter, histo
Dickens also took part in pro rian, humorist, and grand
tests and campaigns against story teller. He is best
social i njustice, hypocrisy in known as the author of the
the society and wrote stories, famous book 'Robinson
pamphlets, and plays in this Crusoe.' It is the story
context. Although Dickens's of a shipwrecked sailor
main profession was as a nov who is washed ashore
elist, he continued his journal on a deserted island. He
istic work until the end of his spends 28 years on this
life remote tropical island enc
Dickens had the rare gift of ountering natives, cap
being able to capture the im tives, and mutineers be
agination of the audience. His fore being rescued. The
powers of observation were story is written in a simple
narrative style, and is
amazing, and he had a rare
considered to be one of
wit. His characters were un
the most widely published
forgettable, and his command
books in history.
of the language incredible.
1 00 G reat Writers 65
in Wonderland,' was born out of
this tale. Alice, a seven year old
girl is the heroine of this story.
She dreams that she plunges
down a rabbit hole. She meets
such strange creatures as the
Cheshire cat, the Mad Hatter,
the March Hare and the King
and queen of hearts. The inci
dents in this novel are illogical
and have a dream like quality.
Lewis Carroll This story is continued in the
novel, 'Through the Looking
Which famous children's Glass,' which is even more fa
author was also a brilliant mous. Lewis Carroll delighted
mathematician? his friends with games, puz
Have you heard of the maths zles and riddles and some of
teacher who wrote children's his novels have puzzled gener
novels? Lewis Carroll did ations of readers.
just that. While working as a
maths lecturer at Christchurch, Ripley's Five Books
Oxford, he wrote novels for ou may be familiar with
children. He also wrote brilliant Robert L. Ripley's 'Believe
mathematical works! it or Not'. Once an author
'Lewis Carroll' was the pen asked him. "What five
name adopted by Charles books would you take
Lutwidge Dodgson. Carroll along if you were forced
was very shy, and hid his to spend five years in
hands continually in a pair of exile on a desert island?"
grey-and-black gloves. He was Ripley replied. " I will ta
troubled by a stammer, but ke the Bible, The Good
he got along well with chil Earth by Pearl S. Buck,
dren. During a picnic in 1 862, Les Miserables by Victor
Carroll told a long story to a Hugo, Outline of History
girl named Alice Liddell. His fa by H.G. Wells, and Believe
mous book, Alice's Adventures
it or Not!"
66 Tel l Me Why
Why are the Bronte sisters famous? Famous
The Bronte sisters led a strange and trou Pen Names
bled life. They lost their mother at an early I nstead of their
age, and two of their sisters died while they real names,
were in school. They l ived in a cold house by some writers
the Parish g raveyard. Yet Charlotte, Emily, used pen
and Anne Bronte wrote some of the finest names. Here
novels in the English are some fa
language. mous pen
A simple present names. Their
from their father, a real names are
box of toy soldiers, in brackets:
Boz (Charles
changed the course
Dickens), Lewis
of their life. Char
Carroll (Charles
lotte seized a toy
Lutwidge
soldierand declared Dodgson),
him to be her hero. George Eliot
This sparked their (Mary Ann
imagination, and Evans), Maxim
they began to Gorki (Aleksei
write. Peshkov), Knut
In 1 846, the three Hamsun (Knut
Bronte Sisters sisters published a Pedersen),
collection of poems O.Henry (WiI
at their own expense. Just two copies were liam Sydney
sold. This failure did not defeat them. Each Porter), George
one started writing a novel, but all the three Orwell (Eric
novels were later rejected by publishers. Fi Arthur Blair),
nally in 1 847, Charlotte Bronte's novel, 'Jane Saki (Hector
Eyre,' was published. It became an immedi Hugh Munro),
ate success. The same year saw the publica Mark Twain
tion of Emily Bronte's novel 'Wuthering (Samuel Lang
Heights' and Anne Bronte's, 'Agnes Grey'. horne Clem
Curiously, all the three Bronte sisters wrote ens), Voltaire
under male pen names! Thus the Bronte sis (Francois Marie
ters made literary history. Arouet).
1 00 Great Writers 67
the world of children with her books. She
was the eldest of three children. Her father
Thomas Ca rey Blyton pa i nted, wrote poetry,
played the piano, and was a photographer
too. Enid Blyton was brought up to be a
musician. Her family thought her writing
was a waste of time!
I n 1 91 7, her first published poem a p
peared in Nash's Magazine. She edited
'Sunny Stories', a new magazine for chil
Enid Blyton dren. Many of her stories, plays, and songs
were well received.
Why is Enid Blyton's first full-length children's adven
Blyton a legend in ture book, The Secret Island' was published
children's litera in 1 938. This was a fast moving story woven
ture? around loveable characters. This led to such
Enid Blyton lit up series as The Famous Five', The Secret
1�C<
writing career. jor work i n psy-
However, Dostoevsky started chological real-
attending meetings of a g roup ism. In spite of
which was i nterested in reform poor physical
ing Russian society. He was health and epi
thrown i nto prison, and sen leptic attacks,
tenced to death. M in utes befor,e D o s t o e v s k y
his execution, hewas pardoned, went on to be
and his sentence reduced to come the father
five years of hard labour in Sibe of Russian real
ria. 'The H ouse of the Dead' ism, and master
published in 1 862 was a fic of psychologi
tional accou nt of prison life cal realism.
70 Tel l Me Why
Why is Best Sellers
James Feni Do you know which are the
more Cooper best selling books of all time?
considered to be 'The Bible,' comes first and 'Quota
the first true A meri- tions from the Works of Mao Tse-
can novelist? tung' comes second in
A bad ly written novel this list.
sparked off James Cooper's writ-
ing career. After reading the novel, he he published 'A Le
boasted to his wife that he could write tter to His Country
better than that. His wife challenged him men', which criti
to prove it. Thus, the gentleman farmer cized American cul
who had inherited a mountain of debt, ture. American news
unexpectedly turned into a successful papers made him out
writer. to be a villain! James
However, Cooper's first book, 'Precau
tion', was a failure. His second, The Spy'
published in 1 82 1 became an instant suc
cess. It was published both in the u.s and
Europe. Most of his novels tell the tale of
American settlers and their conflict with
the native Red Indians. His love for the
wild was reflected in his works. Cooper
was prolific. He produced book after book.
His 'Leatherstocking Tales' were well
loved. These featured the adventures of
Natty Bumppo, the resourceful American James Fenimore
settler. As a mark of respect to his dead Cooper
mother, he took Fenimore as his middle
name. Fenimore Cooper,
Cooper came from a wealthy family the first true Ameri
which founded Cooperstown, New York, can novelist died on
but it had fallen on bad days. His famous September 1 4, 1 85 1
novel, The Last ofthe Mohicans', published at his home, one day
in 1 826, has discontinuation of both a way short of his sixty sec
of life and a family line as its theme. I n 1 834, ond birthday.
1 00 Great Writers 71
and 'The Vicomtede Bragelone'.
His other famous creation was
'The Count of Monte Cristo'. He
also wrote many plays and sto
ries.
Why is 'Gulliver's Travels'
known as Jonathan Swift's
the masterpiece?
Imagine being trapped in a
Why does Alexander Dumas land of tiny people. In 'Gulliver's
enjoy a special place among Travels', Gulliver is washed on
French writers? to the shore of Lilliput, follow
Alexander Dumas, the great ing a shipwreck. For the tiny
French writer, never wrote a people of Lilliput, Gulliver is a
complete novel by himself! He giant. Then he lands up in Brob
would come up with the plot, dingnag, a land of giants. There
characters, and often some of he is seen as tiny, and is even
the important passages, but put into a bird cage!
the main writing was done by a
changing g roup of assistants!
He is famous for creating the
characters of 0' Artagan, Athos,
Aramisand Porth os in 'The Three
Musketeers'. A musket is a gun
with a long barrel. Further ad
ventures of the musketeers fol
lowed in 'Twenty Years After',
Washington Irving
Have you heard about the fictional character, 'Rip Van
Winkle'? He slept for so many years that when he got up his
clothes had grown out of fashion! Well, Washington Irving
created Rip Van Winkle. He appears in I rving's most famous
work, 'The Sketch Book', published in 1 8 1 9. Washington Irv
ing was also the first American to make a living solely out of
writing.
2 Tel l Me Wh
Gulliver escapes, and arrives at a country
BEST SELLERS
of gentle talking horses. The genuine affec
BORN IN PRISONS
tion they have for each other moves Gulliver
so much so that he longs to stay with them.
ome best sellers
'Gulliver's Travels' is the masterpiece of
came from pris
Jonathan Swift, the English-Irish author. Try
ons. Authors
to get a copy of Gulliver's Travels. You are wrote them while
sure to enjoy it! they were in jail.
Why are the books of Victor Hugo still Here are some Ex
ular. amples: ( The au
Victor Hugo's funeral was a national event thor's name is
attended by two mil lion people. His charac given in brackets)
ters live on one hundred and thirty two • Henriade
years after his death. Jean Val Jean, the hero (Voltaire)
of 'Les Miserables' is labelled a criminal for • Pilgrim's
life because he stole a loaf of bread. The Progress
novel throws light on the social conditions (John Bunyan )
in Hugo's France. Hugo wrote this novel • Don Quixote
while in exile. The hunchbacked bell ringer (Miguel De
Quasimodo, and his tragic love for Esmer Cervantes)
alda, the beautiful gypsy girl are portrayed . Hymn to the
in his novel 'Notre-Dame de Paris'. It was pub Pillory
lished in 1 83 1 .with this novel, Hugo gained (Daniel Defoe)
• Glimpses of
lasting fame. In 1 841 , Victor Hugo was elected
to the prestigious Academie Francaise. Vic World History
tor Hugo also pub (Jawaharlal
Nehru)
lishedseveralvolumes
. The Gentle
of lyric poetry.
Grafter
(O.Henry )
• History of the
World (Sir
Walter Raleigh)
• De Profundis
and Apologia
Victor Hugo (Oscar Wilde)
1 00 Great Writers 73
Why is Sherlock Holmes
an immort�1 character?
Say the word detective, and
the image of Sherlock Holmes
springs to the mind. He was so
life-like that readers forgot
that they were reading about
a character in a book. They
even send mail to his fictional Conan Doyle
address in Baker Street! Sher
lock Holmes was a quiet and intelligent
character, but his creator Arthur Conan Why is
Doyle got tired of him. He wanted to Maxim Gorky
write 'serious' novels. So in one of his known as a
later books, he killed him off. There was a 'writer of the
public outcry, and Doyle was forced to people'?
bring Holmes back from the dead. Hol Maxim Gorky
mes formed a memorable partnership was a Russian he
along with his unintelligent associate ro. He was deeply
Dr. Watson. moved by the
Holmes first a ppeared in Doyle's story, wretched condi
'A Study in Scarlet'. It was published as a tions of his coun
serial i n Strand Magazine. Holmes ap trymen. He did a
peared in 'The Sign of the Four' ( 1 889), variety of difficult
'Adventures' ( 1 89 1 ) and 'The Hound of jobs to make
the Baskervilles' ( 1 902). Collected Hol ends meet. When
mes stories appeared in 'Adventures of Gorky toured Rus
Sherlock Holmes'. It ran i nto five vol sia, the sufferings
umes. More than 1 75 films have been of its people
made on Sherlock Holmes. melted his heart,
Arthur Conan Doyle was Scottish by and a revolution
birth and a doctor by profession. He be ary was born. He
lieved in g hosts, and played first class joined the Com
cricket. He also displayed his detective munist Party. In
talent, in just the same manner of Sher 1 905, he was ar
lock Holmes! rested by the
74 Tel l Me Why
\ Reference Books
The authors Norris and Ross McWhirter are responsible for
the internationally popular Guinness book of World Records.
The following are their great reference books:
• Encyclopaedia Britannica
• Guide to Reference Books (American Library Association)
1 00 Great Writers 79
Why is Ivan Turgenev considered to
be a great Russian writer?
The pen is mightier than the sword,
and Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev proved it
with his writing. In 'A Hunter's Sketches',
he criticized the established social cus
tom of serfdom. The peasants or 'serfs'
were equivalent to slaves. It is believed
that Tsar Aleksander II read Hunter's
Sketches. The book melted his heart, and
he set the serfs free!
Turgenev published his first story, Ivan Turgenev
'Khor and Kal i n ich,' i n 1 847. He travel led
in Europe, and developed friendships with the famous writers,
Flaubert and Zola. His novel, 'Fathers and Sons,' angered society.
It deals with N i h ilism. N i hilism believes that existing social sys
tems must be totally destroyed but it offered no other alternative.
80 Tel l Me Why
The hosti le reception to his novel
forced Turgenev to leave Russia and
settle in Paris.
His novels 'Rudin' ( 1 856), 'A Nest of
Gentlemen' (1 859) and 'On the Eve'
(1 860) were based on social and po
litical issues. By the 1 870's, Turgenev
\
was recognized as one of the world's \ Antonio 0 as
leading writers. Turgenev also wrote a
number of plays. 'A Month i n the
Country' is noted for i nnovations in
\
\ 'My land has
palm trees,
where the night
dramatic style. I n the play, 'A Provincial ingale sings'...
Lady', he pokes fu n at the beliefs of the this is the first
country aristocrats. Turgenev was a line of 'Song of
g reat Russian writer whose fame Exile', Brazil's
spread throughout the world. He died best known po
i n 1 883. em. It was
penned by An
tonio Goncalves
conventions. Dias (pictured
above) in 1 843.
Henrik I bsen was born in Skein,
Dias wrote on
Norway, to a wealthy merchant fam
nature, and the
i ly. However, his father suffered fi
glorification of
nancial losses and was unable to give the native peo
I bsen a good education. Ibsen devel ple. He cele
oped a deep distrust for society, and brates Brazil in
this is reflected in his poetry col
his plays. I bsen's lections, Pri
plays have been meiros Cantos
universally praised, and Ultimos
and he is among Cantos.Antonio
the most i nfluen Dias is regarded
tial playwrights i n as the national
the development poet of Brazil.
of modern drama.
1 00 Great Writers 81
were recorded by Tolstoy - like a painter
adding small brushstrokes to create a life
like painting. 'War and Peace,' is his mas
terpiece. The 'War' i n the title refers to Na
poleon's wars from 1 805 to 1 820. In the
novel, Tolstoy rejects the theory that g reat
men make history.
Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina' tells the tale of
the aristocratic Anna, and her love affair
Leo Tolstoy with a dashing a rmy officer. The Death of
Ivan l Iyich,' and The Kreutzer Sonata,' are
Why do critics his later novellas.
say that Tolstoy's Tolstoy shared with Mahatma Gandhi, a
writing reveals 're belief in passive resistance towards evil -
al life'? the principle which the I ndian I ndepend
If life could write ence movement successfully employed.
its own story, it Leo Tolstoy was born in 1 828. His mother
would write like Tol died when he was two, and his father when
stoy. Even the he was nine. Raised by relatives, Leo Tol
minute details of his stoy went on to become a great Russian
characters' l ives novelist - a writer of the 'real life'.
Why is Emile Zola Emile Zola, the g reat French novelist and
considered a great critic had a dream. He wanted to be a pub
writer? lished author. To that end, he started work
ing in a publishing house and published
works of fiction. But his early works went
unnoticed. Then in 1 865, he published
'Claude's Confession' - a scandalous auto
biographical work. It caught the notice of
his employers and they gave him notice to
quit. Though he lost his job, Zola gained
attention as an emerging author.
'Therese Raquin', his second novel was a
modest success. He fol lowed it with a series
82 Tel l Me Why
of twenty works known together as the
'Rougon-Macquart cycle.' It revolves around
the life of a family living u nder Napoleon. Katherine
Zola's style of writing was based on the Mansfield
accurate depiction of detail. This is called Katherine
'naturalism.' Zola is the founder of the 'natu Mansfield
ralist movement.' The Drunkard,' which was was the first
important
published in 1 877 made him famous.
Why do we consider Balzac one of the writer to
emerge from
creators of realism in French literature?
New Zea
Honore de Ba lzac was neglected by his land. Virgin
mother and, spent his early yea rs in board ia Woolf, the
ing school. In 1 81 9, Balzac rented a shabby great writer,
room in Paris and began to write. considered
Balzac spent up to 1 6 hours a day writing. her as a seri
He wrote on blue paper aided by large cups ous rival. 'In
ofTurkish coffee. By 1 822, Balzac had written a German
several novels and plays u nder various pen Pension/
names. All his writings were ignored but was her first
Balzac contin ued to put pen to paper. complete
In 1 833, Balzac collected all of his novels, volume of
linked them together as a series, and pub short stories.
lished them under the title, The Human Her stories
Comedy'. It included his well known works, question tra
'Father Goriot', 'The ditional ide
Peasants' and 'Lost as about so
Ill usions'. This col cial class,
lection of 90 novels family life,
portrayed more and mar
than 2000 life like riage. They
exerted a
characters. His cha
lasting influ
racterswere lifelike.
ence on
Hence Balzac is re
modern
garded as a he crea short story
tor of realism in writers.
French literature.
1 00 Great Writers 83
What makes Dusk', a collection
Anton Che t<hov a of short stories, and
world famous completed his first
writer? play, 'Ivanov'. The
Anton Pavlovich Seagull', a tragic
Chekhov began to tale of love was his
write while study first great success
ing medicine in in theatre.
Moscow U niversi Chekhov pre-
ty. His family was sented life as it was.
neck deep in debt, Anton Chekhov His new descriptive
and desperately technique led to
needed the money Chekhov the development of modern
got from writing. His first story ism and influenced later gen
appeared in 1 880 in the comic erations of writers. His last play,
magazine, 'Fragments'. Chek The Cherry Orchard,' was a
hov fine-tuned his descriptive huge success. 'Uncle Vanya',
technique d u ring his five years The Three Sisters' are among
at 'Fragments'. his most famous works. Chek
Chekhov g raduated in 1 884, hov died in 1 904.
and began to practice medi Why is Tagore's 'Gitanjali'
cine. 'New Time', one of Russia's famous?
most prestigious news papers, Likea diamond, Rabindranath
began to publish his work. I n Tagore's genius had many fac
1 887, Chekhov bagged the es. He was a national poet, a
coveted Push kin prize for 'At leading political figure, a paint-
84 Tel l Me Why
singing, and languages.
Tagore's union with natu re is
the cornerstone of his poetry.
'Gitanjali,' is a collection of his
religious and spiritual poetry. It
takes a new look at the relation
ship between Nature and God.
In 1 9 1 3, Tagore was awarded
Einstein and Tagore the Nobel Prize for Literature
for his English translation of
er, and an educational vision 'Gitanjali.'
ary. He was also a novelist. He Which famous German au
wrote and composed I ndia's thor won the Nobel Prize for
national anthem. Rabindranath Literature in 1 9461
Tagore's works are a heady mix Herman Hesse was a German
ture of politics, po writer, but was deeply infl u
etry, and spi ritual ity. enced by Eastern thought.
Tagore established 'Siddhartha,' is his most popular
Shanti N i ketan - a novel. I n his novel 'Demian', a
school 'where the young man is torn between a
mind is without life of pleasure and an orderly
fear'. It blossomed middle class life. Herman
into a meeting place H esse won the Nobel Prize in
for national and in 1 946. He is one of the popu lar
ternational scholars writers of the German speaking
of music, pai nting, world.
N i kos Kazantzakis
I n 1 955, Nikos Kazantzakis was thrown out of
the Greek Orthodox Church and his novel 'The
Last Temptation of Christ,' was banned.
'lorba the Greek', 'Askitki and Odyssey: a
Modern Sequel' are his other well known
works. Kazantzakis is better known as a philoso
pher than as a writer.
1 00 Great Writers 85
Why did Kafka often deal with domes
tic conflicts in his writing?
Have you heard of the word Kafkaesque?
It refers to the Czech novelist Franz Kafka, or
to the nig htmarish fictional world he creat
ed. Franz Kafka's childhood was spent in
fear of his father. So, Kafka's novels deal
with the conflict between father and son. I n
some novels, h i s characters plead i n no
cence before the powerful.
'The Metamorphosis,' is his best known ideas. 'The Trial,' re
story. In it, Gregor Samsa, a salesman wakes volves around the
up one day and finds that he has changed physica l and mental
into a giant, ugly insect! This is the most suffering of Josef K.,
important work in 'modernism'. 'Modern who is arrested
ism' breaks away from traditional forms and without reason. 'The
86 Tel l Me Why
Castle,' is one of his most Which famous author refu.ed
important works. Kafka's to accept the Nobel Prize for Lit
novels capture the .ratur In 1 9631
strangeness of modern Have you ever said no to a prize?
l ife and the feeling of be Well, Jean-Paul Sartre said no to
ing cut off from people the biggest prize of them all - the
and the world. Nobel Prize! He believed that the
Kafka's genius was not Nobel Prize represented traditional
recognized in his lifetime. middleclass values, which went
He asked his friend and against his beliefs. Sartre was an
fellow writer Max Brod to existentialist. Ex
destroy all his writings istentialists be
after his death. Luckily, lieved in the su
Brod disobeyed his frien preme i mpor
d's last wish and the wo tance of human
rld discovered a genius. freedom.
Sartrewas born
in Paris in 1 905.
presented without ex Sartre's life and
planation. He used this his works were
style to represent the i nfluenced by his friend Simone de
complexity of the hu Beauvoir, the French philosopher,
man m i n d a nd modern a nd writer a nd other existentia lists.
life. He won the Nobel 'La Nausee' was his first novel. 'Be
Prizf for
"'v;"Literature i n ing and Nothingness', his nonfic
7{
1 9 .�" tion work, lays down the fou nda
tions of his philosophy. His play,
'No Exit' presents three characters
trapped in a room with no way out.
They come to believe that 'hell is
other people'. Sartre was plagued
by blindness in the final years of his
life, but he succeeded in opening
the eyes of the world to his phi
losophy.
1 00 G reat Writers 87
Why is Samuel Beckett regarded How did Albert Camus
as a great playwright? attract readers?
Samuel Beckett studied in the Albert Camus was at the
school which taught the great writer height of his popularity
Oscar Wilde - when he died. His life be
the Portora gan in poverty in Algeria.
Royal School in The experience of poverty
Ireland. Beckett and the fear of death were
came from a n reflected in his Algerian
Anglo-Irish essays collected in the
family, but he 'Wrong Side and the Right
wrote mostly Side', 'Nupitals and Sum
in French. He mer'.
worked as a Camus realized that the
Samuel Beckett in a
lecturer in Paris Paris Cafe human mind had no ca
from 1 928 to pacity to understand
1 930, where the great writer James death. Therefore, a l l things
Joyce became his lifelong friend. He in life become meaning-
acted as one of Joyce's assistants
while he was writing 'Finnegan's
Wake'.
'Whoroscope', published in 1 930,
is his first poem. While working as a
lecturer in Trinity College, Beckett
wrote a series of stories about the
life of a Dublin intellectual. These
were later formed into the collection
'More Pricks than Kicks'. Beckett quit Albert Camus
his job, and embarked on a career as
a freelance writer. In 1 932, he pub less. This was the basis of
lished his first novel, 'Dream of Fair his doctrine of the absurd
to Middling Women'. It was drawn or u n reasonable. His novel,
largely from his own experiences. 'The Stranger,' deals with
'Waiting for Godot', 'Endgame', a lienation - the feeling of
'Krapp's Last Tape' and 'Happy Days' being cut off from people
are among his major plays. and the world. 'The Myth
88 Tel l Me Why
Patrick White
Patrick White is considered to be the most original Aus
tralian novelist. 'Happy Valley', 'The Tree of Man', 'Riders in
the Chariot', 'A Fringe of Leaves
and Voss' are among his ma
jor novels. He won the
Nobel Prize for Litera
ture in 1 973.
Octavio Paz
Octavio Paz was born in 1 9 1 4 in Mexico City,and
was a poet and essayist. The revolution of the
word was the revolution of the world for Paz. 'The
Labyrinth of Solitude' is his fundamental study of
Mexican identity. In 1 962, Paz was appointed
Mexican Ambassador to India. His stay in India Octavia Paz
gave birth to 'The Grammarian Monkey and East
Slope'. Paz believed poetry to be the secret religion of the mod
ern age. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1 990.
90 Tel l Me Why
Goldoni 'He was the nearest of all writers
Goldoni was the to Shakespeare and Milton, and
great reformer of yet i n a style perfectly u n bor
Italian comedy. rowed and his own', wrote his
He freed Italian friend and fellow poet Coleridge.
drama from the His i ntense love for nature lights
tradition of come up his poems. Wordsworth
dy made up on the sensed the spirit that lives in na
spur of the mo ture. The perfect use of language,
ment. the freshness of his thought, and
his magnificent imagination
Why is Jack London fa made his poems sensational.
mous? Yet they were simple.
I n 1 897, Jack London sailed In 1 798, Wordsworth pub
into the Klondike gold rush in lished his first collection of po
Canada. A gold rush is the rapid ems, 'Lyrical Ballads', together
migration of people to an area with Coleridge. This collection
where gold is suddenly discov marks the birth of the Romantic
ered. Jack London's famous school in English poetry. I n
novel The Cal l ofthe Wild,' is set 1 843, he was appointed Poet
in the Klondike gold rush. His La u reate on the death of Robert
novel, The Sea-Wolf,' was made Southey, another Lakeland po
into the first ful l length Ameri et. 'Daffodils,' is one of his most
can movie. He was one of the famous poems.
first writers to build a large for
tune from his fiction a lone. Jack Novalis
London wrote a lot of commer Novalis, the fa
cial magazine fiction, the first mous German au
writer to do so. Sometimes, he thor and philoso
purchased plots for his works pher is often known
from other writers! as the prophet of
Why did William Words romanticism. 'We
worth's poems cause a sensa are near awakening
tion? when we dream
William Wordsworth's words that we dream',
were worth their weight in gold. wrote Novalis.
1 00 G reat Writers 91
Why is Ezra Pound known as 'th e Chinese works is among
et's poet'? the most beautiful of his
Pound, a restless rebel, is one of the writings. 'Cantos,' is
founders of modern poetry. Born in Pound's major poetic
Idaho in the U.S, he went to London, work. It was first pub
and worked as the secretary of the lished in ten sections, and
great poet, W.B Yeats. For a time he later, as a single volume
was a n imagist. Imagists believed in collection. It revolves
the use of fresh language and a true a round the poet's quest
understanding of nature. Pound's for worldly wisdom. His
short poem, 'In a Station of the Metro' 'ABC of Reading' estab
is an imagist masterpiece. Pound lished the modernist po
helped T.5 Eliot and etic technique. Pound is
James Joyce to known as the poet's poet
publish their works for his influence on twen
in the magazines, tieth century poetry. He
Egoist and Poetry. published over 70 books,
In 1 9 1 4, he married and translated Japanese
the artist Dorothy plays and Chinese poetry.
Shakespeare. Dur According to Pound,
ing that period, he g reat literature is simply
wrote one of his language charged with
most popular po meaning to the utmost
ems, 'Homage to possible degree.
Sextus Propertius'. Which American poet
'Cat h ay', his Eng - Ezra Pound was named the 'nun of
lish translation of ______ Amherst'?
Emily Dickinson was
n S a 1 MIII born in Amherst, U .5.A.
'On Liberty,' is one of the Her mother suffered from
smallest of the world's great dipression. She dressed
books. It was written by the Brit in white, and spent most
ish philosopher John Stuart Mill of her time shut up in her
in 1 859. It deals with the power room. She never married.
that society can exert on the in- Though she wrote over
dividual.
James Baldwin
J ames Baldwin was a Black American writ
er. He gained fame with his first novel, 'Go
Tell it on the Mountain'. 'Giovanni's Room',
'The Fire Next Time', 'If Beale Street could
Talk' and IJust Above my Head,' are his other
important novels.
.
_