Shakespeare A to Z | Spenser, Sir Edmund: ca. 1552–1599, Poet
Sir Edmund Spenser is generally considered to be one of England’s greatest poets. Born in London and educated at the University of Cambridge, he had a profound influence on the writers of his day. He first gained fame with the publication of The Shepheardes Calendar (1579), a collection of 12 pastoral* poems (one for each month of the year). The romantic episodes in this volume probably influenced Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Spenser was also an important figure in the development of the English sonnet*.
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