Edward FitzGerald

A.D.P. Briggs (University of Bristol)
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Edward FitzGerald, a curiously ill-defined figure, could be described as the most undervalued of all the English poets. Nowadays he looks sadly disregarded, receiving nothing more than perfunctory mention in current histories and commentaries. You will not find his name on any school or university reading-lists. Not a single monograph has been written about him (though there are at least seven biographies) and critical articles on his work are scarce. And yet in 1859 he produced a small volume of verses that was to appear in hundreds of different editions and countless reprints (many of these lavishly illustrated by the best artists), outselling all other English poets. For several decades in the twentieth century his quotable lines were on everyone's lips. How can we explain this…

2720 words

Citation: Briggs, A.D.P.. "Edward FitzGerald". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 April 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1546, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1546 Edward FitzGerald 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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