George Chapman

Born around 1559 and dying in 1634, he was an English poet, dramatist, and translator whose career stretched across the late Elizabethan and early Stuart periods. He is especially famous for his translations of Homer, including versions of the Iliad and the Odyssey, which later inspired John Keats's sonnet "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer."

He also wrote for the stage, both on his own and in collaboration with other playwrights, and his original works often draw on classical history and ideas. Readers and critics have long noted the force of his language and the thoughtful, often stoic spirit running through his writing.

Though he is less widely read today than some of his contemporaries, his Homer translations remain a major part of his reputation and a lasting influence on English literary history.