author
Francis Godwin
1562–1633
Best known for imagining one of English literature's earliest journeys to the moon, this 17th-century bishop also wrote respected works of history and church scholarship. His life sits at a fascinating meeting point between learned religion, political history, and the first stirrings of science fiction.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Northamptonshire in 1562, Francis Godwin was an English clergyman, historian, and writer who went on to become Bishop of Llandaff and later Bishop of Hereford. He studied at Christ Church, Oxford, and built a career in the Church of England while also gaining a reputation as a careful scholar.
Alongside his church work, he wrote historical studies, including works on English bishops and the reigns of Tudor rulers. He is now especially remembered for The Man in the Moone, published after his death in 1638, a remarkable tale of lunar travel that is often described as one of the earliest works of science fiction in English.
What makes Godwin memorable today is the unusual range of his writing. He was a serious churchman and historian, yet he also had the imagination to picture a voyage beyond Earth centuries before space travel became real, giving his work a special place in both literary and scientific history.