Edwin Atherstone facts for kids
Edwin Atherstone (1788-1872) was an English writer, poet, and playwright. He is best known for his very long poem, The Fall of Nineveh. This poem even inspired a famous painting by his friend, John Martin.
About Edwin Atherstone
Edwin Atherstone was born in Nottingham, England, on April 17, 1788. He was one of fifteen children! His parents were Hugh Atherstone and Ann Green. He went to school in Yorkshire at Fulneck Moravian School.
Later, Edwin had a family with Mary Wainwright Pearson. They had four children: three daughters and one son. Edwin also taught music at a school in Taunton. He enjoyed collecting paintings. Edwin Atherstone passed away in Bath on January 29, 1872.
His Writings
Edwin Atherstone wrote many different works. He published his first poem, called Last Days of Herculaneum, in 1821. His most famous work is the epic poem The Fall of Nineveh.
This poem took many years to write. The first part came out in 1828, and the final version was published in 1868. It is written in blank verse, which means it doesn't rhyme. The poem is incredibly long, with over twenty thousand lines! It has a beginning section and thirty main parts, called books.
The story of The Fall of Nineveh is about a war. It describes a conflict between the Medes and the Assyrians. This war happened many centuries before Christ. The main characters include Arbaces, who is a prince of the Medes. There is also Belesis, a priest and friend of Arbaces. The villain is Sardanapalus, a cruel king of Assyria.
After many battles, the Medes finally captured Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria. King Sardanapalus then set his own palace on fire and died inside.
Atherstone wrote other poems too. Israel in Egypt tells the story of Moses and how he helped free the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. He also wrote Abradates and Panthea and A Midsummer Day's Dream. Besides poems, Edwin Atherstone wrote two novels. These were The Sea-Kings in England (published in 1830) and The Handwriting on the Wall (published in 1858).
Inspired Painting
Edwin Atherstone was a close friend of the painter John Martin. Martin's famous painting, "The Fall of Nineveh," was created to go along with Atherstone's poem.
- This article includes text from a book that is now free to use: Cousin, John William (1910). A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London: J. M. Dent & Sons. Wikisource
See also
In Spanish: Edwin Atherstone para niños
