author
James Kennedy
d. 1859
A 19th-century British barrister, editor, and writer, he moved easily between law, politics, and literary culture. He is remembered for founding Library of the Fine Arts and for books on language, ethnology, and Spanish poetry.
1 Audiobook
Modern Poets and Poetry of Spain
by James Kennedy, Juan Bautista Arriaza, Manuel Bretón de los Herreros, José de Espronceda, Leandro Fernández de Moratín, José María Heredia, Tomás de Iriarte, Gaspar de Jovellanos, Francisco Martínez de la Rosa, Juan Meléndez Valdés, Manuel José Quintana, duque de Angel de Saavedra Rivas, José Zorrilla
About the author
Born in 1798, James Kennedy built a varied career as a barrister, writer, and public figure. Reliable sources identify him as a British barrister, judge, writer, and Member of Parliament for Tiverton, with a strong interest in art and literature as well as public affairs.
In 1831 he founded Library of the Fine Arts, an early sign of his engagement with criticism and cultural journalism. His surviving works show broad interests: they include Selections From the Poems of Don José Maria Heredia, Ethnological and Philological Essays, and Modern Poets and Poetry of Spain. That mix of legal training and literary curiosity gives his work an energetic, wide-ranging feel.
Later in life, he also served as a judge at the Mixed Court of Justice in Havana. He died in 1859, leaving behind a body of work that connects Victorian legal, political, and literary worlds.