About Geoffrey Chaucer
1343 - 1400 The poet Geoffrey Chaucer was born in 1340 in London. He wrote The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories, between 1387 and 1400. He never finished his enormous project and even the completed tales were not finally revised. Scholars are uncertain about the order of the tales, as the printing press had yet to be invented when Chaucer wrote his works; The Canterbury Tales has been passed down in several handwritten manuscripts. |
About William Shakespeare
1564 - 1616 William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor during the Elizabethan Period. He was baptised in April of the year 1564 and died in April as well in the year of 1616. He was often called England’s National Poet. His works and collaborative works consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems and a few other verses. His playwrights are performed more often than any other playwright from that time. Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon. He got married at the age of 18, to Anne Hathaway, and had 3 children: Susana, Hamnet and Judith (who were twins). He started to become a successful actor, writer and part owner of a playing company called Lord Chamberlains Men, between the years 1585-1592. He retired during his forties, at around 1613. Only a few records of Shakespeare’s private life were recorded. |
Charles Dickens
1812 - 1870 Charles Dickens was born on 7th of February,1012, in Portsmouth. His family was first well-off and he received some education, but his father, however, was then put into prison for debt. So Dickens started to work for 10 hours a day in a factory, he earned 6 shillings a week by pasting labels on jars. At first he was a law clerk, but became a novelist in the end. |