Charles Lamb 1775 - 1834

His Life Essayist Poet Wrote under the pseudonym “Elia” Friends with literary greats such as Coleridge, Shelley, and Byron

Charles suffered from several weeks of anxiety as a young man; he was hospitalized and fully recovered Because of a severe stutter, Charles was not encouraged to study for the Church so he became a clerk He spent the majority of his work life with the East India Trading Company, retiring with a good pension 25 years later

Lam’s sister, Mary, attacked and killed their mother Lamb gave up his hopes of marriage to care for his sister who was convicted of “lunacy” and required a constant companion Lamb cared for Mary until his death; she died 13 years later and is buried beside her brother

His Work Lamb began writing poetry and four of his sonnets were published in a collection of Coleridge’s work Charles always seemed to be in the creative shadow of his literary friends and finally turned to prose as a creative form His first novella was kindly received by his contemporaries

In the early 19th century, Charles and Mary began a creative and productive collaboration of synopsis of Shakespeare’s work designed to inspire children; it was entitled, “Tales from Shakespeare” At the same time, Charles wrote a series of letters to a national journal, each one fine-tuning his essay style

His essays, published together in a book entitled “Essays of Elia,” were a success His ability as a critic, editor, reviewer, and essayist gave him steady employment with a prominent publisher His reputation grew and he was finally asked to write the essays which have secured his fame in the literary world