'The Lives of the Poets' by Samuel Johnson

'The Lives of the Poets' by Samuel Johnson

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'If a man is to write a Panegyrick, he may keep vices out of sight; but if he professes to write A Life, he must represent it really as it was'

In the last of his major writings, Samuel Johnson looked back over the previous two centuries of English Literature in order to describe the personalities as well as the achievements of the leading English poets. The major Lives - of Milton, Dryden, Swift and Pope - are memorable cameos od the life of writing in which johnson is as attentive to human frailty as to literary prowess. The shorter Lives preserve some of Johnson's most piercing, critical judgements. Unsentimental, opinionated, and quotable, 'The Lives of the Poets' continues to influence the reputations of the writers concerned.

This selection of ten of the most important poets draws its text from Roger Lonsdale's authoritative complete edition

Paperback, 523 pages
ISBN: 9780199226740
Oxford University Press 2009

Product Code: SJBM10