Edmund Spenser Biography
(Poet)
Born: 1552
Born In: London, England
Edmund Spenser was a 16th-century English poet who garnered fame for composing the epic poem and fantastical allegory ‘The Faerie Queene’. Widely regarded as one of the premier craftsmen of nascent Modern English verse, he is also recognized as one of the greatest poets in the English language. Originally from London, Spenser attended the Merchant Taylors' School before enrolling at the Pembroke College, Cambridge, from where he matriculated as a sizar. In 1578, he briefly served as a secretary of John Young, Bishop of Rochester. In the following year, he put out his first major poetic work, ‘The Shepheardes Calender’. Spenser went to Ireland and entered the service of Lord Deputy, Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton, in 1580. Later, he purchased several plots there, including one in Rennie, on a rock with the view of the river Blackwater in North Cork. According to legends, it was there that he composed some parts of his magnum opus. The first three books of ‘The Faerie Queene’ were published in 1590 and all six books were put out together in 1596. Spenser was forced out of his home and Ireland in 1598 and spent the final year of his life in alleged poverty in London.