author
James Montgomery
A poet, hymn writer, and newspaper editor whose work joined clear, memorable verse with a strong sense of justice. Best known today for beloved hymns such as "Angels from the Realms of Glory," he also used his writing to speak against slavery and child labor.
3 Audiobooks
Eminent literary and scientific men of Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Vol. 3 (of 3)
by James Montgomery, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Eminent literary and scientific men of Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Vol. 1 (of 3)
by James Montgomery, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Eminent literary and scientific men of Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Vol. 2 (of 3)
by James Montgomery, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
About the author
Born in Irvine, Scotland, in 1771, James Montgomery spent most of his life in Sheffield, England, where he became a well-known editor, poet, and public voice. He was raised in the Moravian tradition, and that religious background shaped both the warmth of his hymns and the moral seriousness of his prose and poetry.
Montgomery is remembered above all for his hymns, many of which remained popular long after his lifetime, but he was more than a devotional writer. As editor of the Sheffield Iris, he took political risks for what he believed in, and his writing often showed sympathy for humanitarian causes, including the abolition of slavery and concern for exploited children.
His verse is usually praised for its simplicity, feeling, and musical ease rather than grand display. That plainspoken strength helped his work endure, making him a lasting figure in English-language religious poetry and in the literary life of 19th-century Britain.