famous British writers. famous British writers famous British writers and poets

You can talk a lot about the role of the individual in history, but we are much more interested in the topic of the role of the individual in the development of the English language. After all, there is no doubt that a number of people whose names we know for sure made an invaluable contribution to English through their literary works. Of course, we are talking about the most famous British writers.

William Shakespeare often called the greatest British writer and one of the brightest playwrights in the world. The writer was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. During his career, Shakespeare created about two hundred works that have been translated into many languages ​​and are constantly staged. In addition, Shakespeare himself performed in theaters for a long time. Among the most famous works of the author are the most famous tragedies "Romeo and Juliet", "Hamlet", "Othello", "Macbeth", "King Lear".

Oscar Wilde- Another famous and interesting representative of British literature. He was born in 1856 to an Irish family. Oscar Wilde's talent and sense of humor are recognized worldwide, as is his most famous novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. The writer has always said that aesthetic feelings are the driving force behind human development, and he repeatedly touched on this topic in his works. Oscar Wilde left a large number of magnificent fairy tales, plays and novels, which are often staged in our time.

Charles Dickens- British writer, who gained popularity during his lifetime, is a recognized classic of world literature. Dickens was born in 1812 in Porsmouth, England, and grew up in a large family. From childhood, the writer was forced to earn a living, and his hardships were later reflected in such famous works as Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, the heroes of which were poor orphan boys. No less famous works are "Dombey and Son", "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club", which brought him great fame.

Agatha Christie Often referred to as the Queen of the Detective. The writer, who was born in 1890, is among the most frequently published writers. Agatha Christie gave the world about a hundred works, including detective and psychological novels, short stories and plays. Christie's most famous creations are the play "The Mousetrap", the detective novel "Ten Little Indians", "Murder on the Orient Express" and many others.

Another great master of the detective is considered Arthur Conan Doyle, who gave the world the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes and many other bright characters.

Among modern authors, the British writer stands out Joanne Rowling, famous for a series of books about the wizard Harry Potter and the magical world. These books not only brought her worldwide fame, but also turned her from a single mother living on welfare to a multimillionaire. After the release of all the Harry Potter books, Rowling released several books for adult readers, including under the pseudonym "Robert Gilbraith".

This list can be continued for a long time, but we have listed the real "giants". Without them, the English language, which you can study in courses at, would be completely different. That is why it is so important to remember them and know their names.

Nick Hornby is known not only as the author of such popular novels as "Hi-Fi", "My Boy", but also as a screenwriter. The writer's cinematic style makes him very popular in adapting books by various authors for film adaptation: "Brooklyn", "Education of the Senses", "Wild".

In the past, an ardent football fan, he even splashed out his obsession in the autobiographical novel Football Fever.

Culture is often a key theme in Hornby's books, in particular, the writer does not like it when pop culture is underestimated, considering it as narrow-minded. Also, the key themes of the works are often the relationship of the hero with himself and others, overcoming and searching for himself.

Nick Hornby now lives in Highbury, North London, within easy reach of the stadium of his favorite football team, Arsenal.

Doris Lessing (1919 - 2013)

After the second divorce in 1949, she moved with her son to London, where at first she rented an apartment for a couple with a woman of easy virtue.

The topics that worried Lessing, as often happens, changed during her life, and if in 1949-1956 she was primarily occupied with social issues and communist themes, then from 1956 to 1969 the works began to be of a psychological nature. In later works, the author was close to the postulates of the esoteric trend in Islam - Sufism. In particular, this was expressed in many of her science fiction works from the Canopus series.

In 2007, the writer was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The world-wide success and love of millions of women brought the writer the novel "Bridget Jones's Diary", born from a column that Helen led in the Independent newspaper.

The plot of the "Diary" repeats in detail the plot of Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice", up to the name of the main male character - Mark Darcy.

They say that the writer was inspired by the 1995 series and especially by Colin Firth, as he migrated to the film adaptation of The Diary without any changes.

In the UK, Stephen is known as an esthete and a great original, driving around in his own cab. Stephen Fry incomparably combines two abilities: to be the standard of British style and to regularly shock the public. His bold statements about God put many into a stupor, which, however, does not affect his popularity in any way. He is openly gay - last year, 57-year-old Fry married a 27-year-old comedian.

Fry does not hide the fact that he used drugs and suffers from bipolar disorder, about which he even made a documentary.

It is not easy to define all areas of Fry's activity, he himself jokingly calls himself "a British actor, writer, king of dance, prince of swimming trunks and blogger." All of his books invariably become bestsellers, and interviews are sorted into quotes.

Stephen is considered a rare owner of a unique classic English accent, an entire book has been written about the art of "talking like Stephen Fry".

Julian Barnes has been called the "chameleon" of British literature. He perfectly knows how, without losing his individuality, to create works that are different from each other: eleven novels, four of which are detective stories written under the pseudonym Dan Kavanagh, a collection of short stories, a collection of essays, a collection of articles and reviews.

The writer has been repeatedly accused of Francophonie, especially after the publication of the book "Flaubert's Parrot", a kind of mixture of a biography of the writer and a scientific treatise on the role of the author in general. The writer's craving for everything French is partly due to the fact that he grew up in the family of a French teacher.

His novel A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters became a real event in literature. Written in the genre of dystopia, the novel seeks answers to a number of philosophical questions about the essence of man, his past, present and future.

A favorite of children and adults around the world, the restless Paddington bear was "born" in 1958, when Michael Bond realized at the last moment before Christmas that he forgot to buy a gift for his wife. Out of hopelessness, the author, who had already written many plays and stories by that time, bought his wife a toy bear in a blue cloak.

In 2014, based on his books, a film was made, where London became one of the characters in the story. He appears before us as if through the eyes of a small guest from dense Peru: at first rainy and inhospitable, and then sunny and beautiful. You can recognize Notting Hill, Portobello Road, the streets near Maida Vale Station, Paddington Station and the Natural History Museum in the painting.

It is interesting that now the writer lives in London just not far from Paddington station.

Rowling went from social welfare to the author of the best-selling series of books in history in just five years, which became the basis for films, which, in turn, are recognized as the second highest-grossing franchise.

According to Rowling herself, the idea for the book came to her while traveling by train from Manchester to London in 1990. .

Neil Gaiman has been called one of the world's leading storytellers. Hollywood producers are lining up for the film rights to his books.

He also wrote scripts himself more than once. His famous novel Neverwhere was born from just such a script for a mini-series filmed on the BBC in 1996. Although, of course, the opposite is more often the case.

Scary Tales of the Nile are also loved because they blur the lines between intellectual and entertainment literature.

The writer is a laureate of prestigious awards, many of Ian's works have been filmed.

The first works of the writer were distinguished by cruelty and great attention to the theme of violence, for which the author was awarded the nickname Ian Creepy (Ian Macabre). He has also been called the black wizard of contemporary British prose and a world-class expert on all forms of violence.

In further work, all these themes remained, but seemed to fade into the background, passing like a red thread through the fate of the heroes, while not lingering in the frame themselves.

The writer's childhood passed on the run: he was born in Czechoslovakia into an intelligent Jewish family. Because of her nationality, his mother moved to Singapore and then to India. Almost all of the writer's relatives died during the Second World War, and his mother, having married a British military man for the second time, raised her children as real Englishmen.

Stoppard's fame came with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, a reimagining of Shakespeare's Hamlet, which turned into a comedy under Tom's pen.

The playwright has a lot to do with Russia. He was here in 1977, working on a report on dissidents who were kept in psychiatric hospitals. "It was cold. Moscow seemed gloomy to me, ”the author shares his memories.

The writer also visited Moscow during the staging of a performance based on his play at the RAMT Theater in 2007. The theme of the 8-hour performance is the development of Russian political thought of the 19th century with its main characters: Herzen, Chaadaev, Turgenev, Belinsky, Bakunin.

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Brilliant classic detective stories and love stories full of tragedy, lengthy biographies and incomparable subtle humor, a world of bewitching fantasy and adventurous adventures. British literature is rich in masterpieces!

Famous British writers and their best works

Pioneer Geniuses

In order to tell about all the most worthy representatives of Great Britain who created wonderful works (from plays and poems to short stories and novels), you need a voluminous volume. But let's get acquainted (more or less adhering to the chronology) at least with some of them!

Geoffrey Chaucer is considered to be the pioneer of English literature. It was he (it was in the XIV century) who first began to write his works in his native language (and not in Latin). Among his "program" creations, we note the ironic "Canterbury Tales" and the voluminous heroic-romantic poem "Troilus and Chryseis". The earthly in Chaucer is intertwined with the sublime, vulgarity coexists with moralizing, and everyday pictures are replaced by passionate scenes.

Recently, here and there, there have been disputes over another recognized classic - William Shakespeare. They doubted the authorship, attributed his works to other personalities (up to Queen Elizabeth the First). We will stick to the traditional point of view. The immortal lines of sonnets, the colorful characters of tragedies, the life-affirming optimism of the comedies of the Great Bard are modern to this day. His plays are leading in the repertoires of theaters (in terms of the number of productions), they are endlessly filmed. Some "Romeo and Juliet" filmed more than fifty (counting from the era of silent films). But Shakespeare worked in the distant XVI-XVII centuries!

Novels for ladies, and not only

"Women's" prose in the British classics is vividly represented by Jane Austen (who has not read the book "Pride and Prejudice" transferred more than once to the movie screen!). And also the Bronte sisters. The emotional and tragic "Wuthering Heights" by Emily and the very popular and now (again, thanks to film adaptations) "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte are the best examples of literature of the first half of the 19th century. But both sisters died very early, and many of their plans remained unfulfilled.

The powerful prose writer Charles Dickens is the pride of Britain. In his works one can find realism and sentimentalism, a fabulous beginning and riddles. He did not have time to finish The Secret of Edwin Drood, and readers still rack their brains over it. But this novel could become the best detective work of that era.

Mystery and adventure

In general, the founder of this genre is a friend of Dickens, Wilkie Collins. His "Moonstone" is considered the first detective story written in English. Very interesting and full of mysticism and secrets is the novel "The Woman in White".

Two Scots - Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson - contributed to British literature. They were unsurpassed masters of historical adventure novels. "Ivanhoe" of the first and "Treasure Island" of the second are masterpieces.

Two more personalities stand apart: the gloomy romantic John Gordon Byron and the ironic Oscar Wilde. Read their lines! It `s Magic. Life did not indulge both, but the stronger the emotions in the works.

Graceful prose, humor and masters of the detective

Wilde was persecuted for his homosexuality. Suffered from it and his other compatriot - Somerset Maugham. An English intelligence agent, he is the author of the most elegant prose. If you are in a bad mood, re-read "Theater" or re-watch the film - even with Via Artmane, even an American one, with Annette Benning, wonderful medicine!

Other great pep writers are Jerock K. Jerome and Palem G. Wodehouse. Didn't you laugh when you read about the adventures of the "three in a boat" or the misadventures of the half-hearted aristocrat Bertie Wooster, patronized by the stiff valet Jeeves?

Even those who do not like detective stories will sooner or later turn to the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. After all, his hero Sherlock is the favorite object of modern filmmakers.

What can we say about Lady Agatha! Christie is perhaps the most famous detective (may she forgive us such a dissonant word!) Of all times and peoples. And words are superfluous. Poirot and Marple glorified the British woman for centuries.

In the arms of fantasy

A huge amazing world - with its own language, geography, funny (courageous, terrifying, cute, and not very different!) inhabitants - was invented by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, honor and praise be to him. For fantasy fans, his "Lord of the Rings" is what the Bible is for believers.

Among modern British writers, Joanne Rowling has achieved the greatest fame and success. Seeing some images in a half-asleep one day and deciding to write down the story of an orphan boy that came to mind, the impoverished housewife became one of the revered prose writers of our days. Screen adaptations of "Potteriana" were seen by millions, and the author herself became a multi-millionaire.

Erotic escapades of David Lawrence's characters, John Fowles' throwing heroes, HG Wells' other worlds, Thomas Hardy's tragic plots, Jonathan Swift's and Bernard Shaw's evil satire, Robert Burns' ballads, Galsworthy's and Iris Murdoch's realism. This, too, is the wealth of British literature. Read and enjoy!

English literature is rooted in the distant past, in the poetic tradition, the founder of which was Chaucer. But even today, despite the frantic pace of modern life, the British still find time to read a good book.

The current catalog of the Book Club contains 10 magnificent modern novels by British writers. These are world famous authors - Ian Asher, James Bowen, Paula Hawkins, Burley Dougherty, Penny Hancock, as well as new names in the firmament of English literature: Karen Perry, Saira Shah and others. The best detective stories, autobiographical stories, psychological novels and touching stories about animals are presented to your attention.

Fascinating reading!

Ian Asher decided to sell his failed life on eBay. As a result, he was left with only his passport - and the proceeds from the transaction 305 thousand dollars. He set 100 goals and gave himself 100 weeks to achieve them... After 4 years, 50-year-old Ian has already traveled the world and found love and found happiness.

Jess and Jason. Rachel gave these names to the "impeccable" spouses, whom she watches daily from the train window. They seem to have everything that Rachel herself recently lost - love, happiness, well-being ... But one day she sees something shocking happen in the courtyard of their cottage. Just a minute - and the train starts moving, but this is enough for the perfect picture to crumble. And then Jess disappears. Rachel realizes that perhaps only she knows the secret of her disappearance. Will the police accept her testimony? And is it worth it to interfere in someone else's life?

A fracture of the spine changed Cassandra's life: her lover left her, and her friends stopped communicating. Her once wonderful life had become hell. But the hope for happiness and willpower help the girl cope with difficulties. Will she be able to feel the sweet scent of life again?..

Anna and Tobias dreamed of a child, but fate was merciless. The baby was terminally ill. In a secluded house with a sick child, Anna feels trapped and decides to run away, leaving her daughter to her husband, however...

Just five minutes - and the life of Harry and Robin, a happy married couple, changes forever: during an earthquake in Tangier, their little son Dillon disappears without a trace. Five years pass - and Harry and Robin, who is expecting their second child, seem ready to come to terms with the loss, but ... in the seething crowd of people in Dublin, Harry suddenly notices a boy who is very similar to the missing Dillon. Is it really their son? And if so, where has he been all this time?.. Thus begins an amazing story of love and betrayal, loss and finding hope. A story that touches to the core...

The death of his mother was a crushing blow for little Jim. The defenseless boy fell into slavery to the owner of a coal barge, who treated him worse than a dog. On the inhospitable streets of London, Jim will meet friends and enemies, learn to survive and help others, avoid the traps of the big city and hope no matter what. He is not a lost angel at all, he is a desperate homeless child. When a person is finally found who is ready to help Jim, your heart will be filled with joy, and your eyes with tears ...

The publication also includes the novel Sisters of the Homeless Child.

Here is a story about how an inexperienced teenager found out the wrong side of this world; how a passionate woman, wishing to deceive Time itself, mistook illness for love. A story that repeats itself forever. Love... Is it always good? And adoration - is it always good?

The doors of the Battersea Animal Shelter in London never close, not even at Christmas. Early morning... Our heroes begin to wag their tails, prick up their ears, stretch, wake up and shake off half-asleep. Soon the day-to-day bustle begins at the orphanage. Employees and volunteers scurry through the corridors and get down to business: they clean the floors, clean the cages, serve breakfast ... Many dogs and cats had a hard time before they got here. Having survived the loss of their owner, faced with the cruelty and irresponsibility of the former owners, they almost lost faith in man, but now they have regained hope. And those who are ready to give warmth and care to a new friend have a chance to find out that miracles happen! Sometimes they are just around the corner… 14 amazing and touching stories about the inhabitants of the most famous homeless animal shelter in the UK.

World bestseller! Screening in progress! He was a lonely homeless musician, but one day he saw this homeless cat... The cat managed to become both a friend, a partner, and a doctor. This is the story of the survival of two creatures in the stone jungle of a big city. History is filled with small miracles and human warmth.

The amazing gift of this dog gave salvation to many people, and her love and devotion helped to survive when there was no hope...
A tiny puppy was born on the eve of the war. English sailors saved him from a bitter fate. Soon, little fluffy Judy became the mascot of their ship. She felt the approach of danger and warned the sailors.
When the ship's crew was taken prisoner, the enemy wanted to kill the dog. But Judy survived and secretly made her way to the prison camp - to her own! Together with people, she lived in the camp hell and gave sailors joy ...
This story is not fiction. The novel is based on real facts about a unique dog that, along with people, served on a warship during World War II. After the war, he received awards for loyalty and courage.

Today, many schools no longer study such a subject as foreign literature. The younger generation, as a rule, learns about some famous English writers and their fascinating works from textbooks in English classes and thanks to modern cinema. However, everyone who studies English needs to know which English writers are classics of foreign literature. Thanks to this knowledge, you can expand your general horizons and replenish your vocabulary by reading works in the original.

Even those who are not particularly fond of reading literature have heard the names of English writers who have gained worldwide fame. We are talking about Shakespeare, Kipling, Byron, Conan Doyle and others. Let's talk briefly about the authors whose works deserve the attention of everyone.

Rudyard Kipling (Sir Joseph Rudyard Kipling) was an English poet, writer and short story writer who lived from 1865 to 1936. In the history of world literature, he is known as the creator of stories and fairy tales for children, many of which were filmed. Rudyard Kipling became not only the youngest recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, but also the first Englishman to receive this award. The most famous works: "The Jungle Book", "Riki-Tiki-Tavi", "Kim", "Kaa's Hunt", etc. Children's stories: "Elephant", "How the first letter was written", "The cat that walked by itself yourself”, “Why does a rhinoceros have a folded skin”, etc.

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde- an outstanding Irish poet, playwright, writer and essayist. One of the most famous playwrights of the late Victorian period and a key figure in the development of aestheticism and European modernism. The most famous work is the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). The years of the writer's life - 1854−1900.

George ByronGeorge Gordon Byron- English romantic poet, who was in the period from 1788 to 1824 a symbol of romanticism and political liberalism in Europe of the 19th century. During his lifetime, he was commonly referred to as "Lord Byron". Thanks to him, such terms as "Byronic" hero and "Byronism" appeared in literature. The creative heritage left by the poet is represented by the poem "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" (1812), the novel "Don Juan", the poems "Gyaur" and "Corsair", etc.

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle- English writer (although a doctor by education). He is the author of countless novels and stories that are of an adventure, historical, journalistic, fantastic and humorous nature. The most popular detective stories about Sherlock Holmes, science fiction about Professor Challenger, as well as a number of historical novels. Peru Conan Doyle also owns plays and poems. The creative heritage is represented by such works as The White Squad, The Lost World, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and others.

Daniel Defoe- English writer and publicist who wrote about 500 books, magazines and pamphlets on various topics. He is one of the founders of the European realistic novel. In 1719, Daniel Defoe saw the light of the first and best novel in the entire creative life of the writer under the name "Robinson Crusoe". Famous works also include "Captain Singleton", "The Story of Colonel Jack", "Moth Flanders", "Roxanne" (1724) and others.

William Somerset Maugham British novelist, playwright, screenwriter and literary critic. One of the most successful prose writers of the 20th century. For achievements in art and literature he was awarded the Order of the Knights of Honor. On account of Maugham 78 works, including stories, essays and travel notes. Main works: "The burden of human passions", "Moon and penny", "Pies and wine", "The razor's edge".

Who wrote for children

Not all famous English writers were passionate about exclusively serious life topics. Some great authors devoted part of their work to the younger generation, writing fairy tales and stories for children. Who hasn't heard of Alice in Wonderland or Mowgli the boy who grew up in the jungle?

Biography of the writer Lewis Carroll whose real name is Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, no less interesting than his book Alice in Wonderland. He grew up in a large family with 11 children. The boy was very fond of drawing and always dreamed of becoming an artist. This writer told us the story of the restless heroine Alice and her endless journeys into a wonderful magical world, where she meets many interesting characters: the Cheshire cat, and the mad hatter, and the queen of cards.

Roald Dahl originally from Wales. The author spent most of his childhood in boarding houses. One of these boarding houses was located near the famous chocolate factory Cadbury. It is assumed that the idea to write his best children's story called "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" came to him during this period. The hero of the story becomes a boy named Charlie, who receives one of the five tickets that allows him to get into a closed chocolate factory. Charlie, along with 4 other participants, goes through all the tasks in the factory, and remains the winner.

Rudyard Kipling known for his "The Jungle Book", which tells the story of a boy, Mowgli, who grew up among animals in wild forests. Most likely, this story was written under the influence of his own childhood. The fact is, after the birth of the first 5 years of his life, the writer lived in India.

Joanne Rowling- the most famous writer-"storyteller" of our time. It was she who gave us such a character as Harry Potter. The story of the wizard boy Harry, who goes to Hogwarts school, was written by Joan for her children. This allowed them to plunge into the world of magic and magic and forget for a while about the poverty in which the family lived at that time. The book is full of interesting adventures.

Joan Aiken (Joan Delano Aiken) She became a writer because everyone in her family wrote, from her father to her sister. However, Joan was engaged in children's literature. Her most famous work was the short story "A Piece of Heaven in a Pie".

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson invented the pirate Captain Flint in his famous story Treasure Island. Hundreds of boys followed the adventures of this hero. Robert himself comes from cold Scotland, an engineer and a lawyer by training. The first book was published when the author was only 16 years old, he borrowed money for the publication from his father. The story about the treasure island was invented by him much later during the games with his son, during which they drew a treasure map together and came up with plots.

John Tolkien (John Ronald Reuel Tolkien) He is the author of the fantastic and breathtaking stories of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. John is a teacher by education. As a child, the writer learned to read early, and did so often throughout his life. As John himself admits, he fiercely hated the story "Treasure Island", but was crazy about "Alice in Wonderland". The writer himself, after his stories, became the founder of the fantasy genre, it is no coincidence that he was called the "father of fantasy".

Pamela TraversPamela Lyndon Travers, whose real name was Helen, was born in distant Australia. At the age of 8 she moved to live with her mother in Wales. As a child, Pamela was very fond of animals, always imagined herself as a bird. Once the writer was asked to sit with two small and restless children. While playing with them, she began to invent a story about a nanny who carried a suitcase full of things and an umbrella with a parrot-shaped handle. So soon the famous nanny Mary Poppins was introduced to the world.