Charles Lamb

Charles Lamb (1775-1834) was born in London. He was the son of a poor clerk who served as secretary to Samuel Salt. At the age of seven, Charles began his studies at Christ's Hospital, which lasted until 1789. There, he became friends with the renowned poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Before turning fifteen, he was forced to leave school and work as a clerk at the East India Company until 1825. Despite the Lamb family's financial difficulties, their home became the center of a small circle of scholars and intellectuals who gathered in the evenings to enjoy themselves or write together. These friends encouraged Charles to pursue literature. His first writings were published in 1796, and he continued to write until nearly the end of his life in 1833. He wrote poetry, critical essays on Shakespeare and other poets, children's stories, and collaborated with newspapers and magazines, publishing essays and reviews. His greatest success came with his autobiographical essays published under the pseudonym Elia in the "London Magazine," which brought him wider recognition. These essays are considered some of the finest ever written in the English language.