Shakespeare A to Z | Lamb, Charles and Mary. Charles: 1775–1834, Essayist and Literary Critic. MARY: 1764–1847, Writer

Charles Lamb was an English essayist and literary critic whose best known works were the essays he published under the pseudonym* Elia and the Tales from Shakespeare he wrote with his sister, Mary.

*pseudonym: false name, especially a pen name

Lamb left school at the age of 15 to become a clerk with the East India Company, the most prominent English trading house of the time. His passion for literature brought him in contact with some of the most celebrated literary figures of the day. His home became a gathering place for Samuel Taylor COLERIDGE,William...

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