The most outstanding British writers and poets (The Beowulf Poet)

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Introduction

England has given the world a huge number of great writers and poets. Their works have become classics of world fiction. They had a huge impact on modern English, enriching it with new words and terms. Thanks to some representatives of this country, completely new literary directions have appeared which have a lot of fans and followers now. The novels of English writers have repeatedly inspired the best directors of the world to create films, and the performances staged on them are very successful.

Even those who are not fond of reading literature had to hear the names of English writers who have gained worldwide fame. It will be about the most outstanding writers in England.

The Beowulf Poet

We don’t even know the name of the first famous writer, but his or her composition is one of the most famous poems of all time. The Anglo-Saxon epic known as Beowulf was written sometime between the 7th century and the early 11th, though its exact dating is unknown. The 3,128-line tale – set in Scandinavia – depicts a world of heroes, kings and monsters, shedding a unique light on a period of history that we know comparatively little about. Its most famous scholar was J.R.R. Tolkien, who was influenced by Beowulf in his creation of his own mythological world, Middle Earth.

William Shakespeare

It’s hard to know where to begin when describing the works of possibly the most famous writer of all time, William Shakespeare. Also known simply as “The Bard”, Shakespeare’s works are so numerous, so universally admired, and his characters so memorable, that his output has never been equaled. The Elizabethan playwright, born in 1564, continues to captivate audiences with tales of star-crossed lovers in Romeo and Juliet, make audiences ache with laughter at the antics of his mischievous knight Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, make us recoil in horror at the violence of Titus Andronicus, and inspire romance with his beautiful sonnets. His 37 plays are still performed all over the world every single day, most notably by The Royal Shakespeare Company, headquartered in Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, which counts among its acclaimed productions some of the world’s most famous actors.

Jane Austen

The author of such literary classics as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility has a deserving place among Britain’s most famous writers. Born in 1775, Jane Austen is known for six novels, all set among the aristocracy and fundamentally romantic, but each also containing much humour and social commentary. Her novels have inspired numerous television and film adaptations, which have served to widen her appeal still further. Characters including Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy, Emma, Marianne Dashwood and many more are familiar to millions of readers around the world, though Austen herself was not famous during her lifetime; she was writing at a time when female writers weren’t taken seriously, so her works were published anonymously while she was alive. It’s hard to believe it now, but her fame was only achieved posthumously, following the publication of a biography by her nephew.

George Eliot

While Jane Austen published anonymously to ensure her work would be taken seriously, Mary Ann Evans used a male pen name to ensure the same, with the result that we know her by the somewhat unfeminine name of George Eliot. Born in 1819, George Eliot wrote several of the most famous works of English literature, including Silas Marner, The Mill on the Floss and Adam Bede. But the crowning glory of her literary output was Middlemarch: a masterpiece of social commentary and a novel considered to this day to be one of the greatest ever written in the English language.

The Brontë sisters

The Brontë sisters were contemporaries of George Eliot, living in a parsonage on the Yorkshire moors. There were three of them: Charlotte, born in 1816; Emily, born in 1818; and Anne, born in 1820. Like George Eliot, they wrote under male pen names: Currer, Ellis and Acton respectively. Their works earned attention for their unbridled passion, which was unusual for the time and not always well-received. They all died young, but between them, these remarkable sisters wrote some of the most famous novels in English literature, including Jane Eyre by Charlotte, Wuthering Heights by Emily and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne.

Rudyard Kipling

Traveling in Asia as a correspondent of the newspaper "The Pioneer», he wrote essays about his travels. The writer produced six books with his stories that brought him recognition. Subsequently, his books for children were published and they are popular to this day. In 1907, he became the first British recipient of the Nobel prize in literature. Among his most famous works are "the jungle Book", the story "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi"; fairy tales: "Elephant", "the Cat who walked by herself" and many others.

Lewis Carroll

was not only a writer, but also a Professor of mathematics at the University of Oxford. On writing his most famous stories for children "Alice in Wonderland" (1865) and "Through the looking glass" (1871) about the adventures of Alice, the writer was inspired by the acquaintance with the family of the Dean of the College, where he lectured. His daughter Alice became the prototype of the main character. The writer's real name is Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.

In the small town of Llandudno in the Conwy County (Wales), off the coast of the Irish sea, were placed sculptures of fantastic heroes of the English writer: the statue of the White Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland statue, Cheshire cat, the Queen of hearts statue and the statue of the Mad Hatter.

Arthur Conan Doyle

After receiving a bachelor of medicine, the writer took up medical practice, but soon decided to make literature his main profession. The characters of his books Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have become truly legendary. Popular films and TV series were made based on his books. At one time, he was the most paid author in the world. For his literary services, Conan Doyle received a knighthood.

Jerome K. Jerome

was the editor of the famous British magazine "Punch". The writer's popularity in Russia was almost greater than in his native England. According to his humorous work about friends traveling on the Thames, a famous film was made, which is still loved by Russian viewers. From his pen came the much-loved book "Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)".

Charles Dickens

His works are considered classics of world literature. He was the most popular English writer during his lifetime. Beginning his career as a reporter, he retained the realism of stories in his writings. Fyodor Dostoevsky spoke highly of his talent, calling the writer a master of words. One of his famous works is the novel "Oliver Twist".

William Makepeace Thackeray

This English writer-satirist and novelist received his popularity only after 30 years. Before that, he released his works under a pseudonym. For the first time under his name, he published a novel only in 1840, which later brought him world fame. One of Thackeray's famous works is the novel “Vanity Fair”.

Aldous Huxley

was an English writer, a prominent humanist, pacifist and satirist of his time. With his friend Milton Erickson conducted psychological experiments with various States of consciousness. The effects of psychotropic substances had an impact on his work. He was nominated for the Nobel prize seven times. From his pen came the famous dystopian novel "Brave New World".

Herbert George Wells

is an outstanding English writer, doctor of biological Sciences, politician and supporter of the ideas of socialism. His most famous works of fiction: "The Time Machine", "The Invisible Man", "The War of the Worlds" were very popular with readers of the time, thanks to the novelty of ideas. The writer was the first to introduce the concept of parallel worlds into fantasy literature. In his time, wells twice came to Russia, where he met with Lenin and Stalin.

Agatha Christie

, the legendary English writer, is among the most famous representatives of the detective genre. Her books, such as “Hercule Poirot”, “Murder on the Orient Express” have become some of the most frequently published works in the world. They staged numerous theatrical productions and films.

George Orwell

is a popular British writer and publicist. His first work of fame was an autobiographical story about life in Paris and London.

Interestingly, he coined the term "cold war", which was subsequently widely used. One of his famous works is a satirical story-parable "Barnyard", as well as its ideological continuation of the novel-dystopia "1984", in which the well-known expression "Big brother is watching you" was first heard, as well as the terms "doublethink", "thoughtcrime", "Newspeak", "Orthodoxy".

Somerset Maugham

was the most popular British writer and novelist of his time. He was an agent of British intelligence in Russia during the World War I, about which he later wrote a collection of short stories. One of his famous works is the novel "The Razor's Edge".

J.R.R. Tolkien

There was seemingly no end to the imagination of one of the greatest 20th century English writers. J.R.R. Tolkien (whom we’ve already encountered as a Beowulf scholar) didn’t just pen epic works of fantasy; he created an entire mythology to go with them, complete with languages, maps, chronologies and genealogies. Middle Earth, as he called his extraordinarily detailed imaginary world, was the setting for hugely successful novels including The Hobbit – intended primarily for children – and the rather darker three-volume epic The Lord of the Rings, which has been voted by Amazon readers as their favourite book of the millennium.

J.K. Rowling

Bringing this list right up to date, we end with J.K. Rowling, author of the phenomenally successful Harry Potter series – seven books that tell the tale of the eponymous young wizard and his battle to save the world from the onslaught of the evil wizard Voldemort. The world Rowling created has captured the imaginations of children and adults alike, in particular the school at the centre of the story, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Though Rowling’s novels arguably lack the literary merit of the other novels we’ve mentioned in this article, she’s certainly one of the most famous British writers of modern times, and therefore worthy of a place on this list. She’s now turned her attention to writing books for adults, assuming the pseudonym Robert Galbraith in an attempt to have her writing viewed independently of the success of the Harry Potter series.

Resources

https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/guide-britains-famous-writers-history.html#aId=45665152-94d7-404b-a673-f029cc905ad4

https://shkolnaiapora.ru/literatura/pisateli-velikobritanii.html