William Jerdan was the editor of the

Literary Gazette

for thirty-four years. He was also its main reviewer and critic, and in addition wrote essays, poems, fiction and a vast amount of biography for many other periodicals.

He was born on 16 April 1782 in Kelso in the Scottish Borders. On leaving school he succumbed to several bouts of illness, a spell of convalescence in the Navy during which he published his first poem, and made two unsuccessful attempts to study law in Edinburgh. He finally moved to London in 1806 with the vague idea of writing for his living.

He was born on 16 April 1782 in Kelso in the Scottish Borders. On leaving school he succumbed to several bouts of illness, a spell of convalescence in the Navy during which he published his first poem, and made two unsuccessful…

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Citation: Matoff, Susan. "William Jerdan". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 March 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12959, accessed 19 March 2024.]

12959 William Jerdan 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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