author
Leigh Hunt
1784–1859
A lively voice of the English Romantic era, this poet, essayist, and critic helped shape literary culture through his wit, warmth, and fearless journalism. He is also remembered for championing writers like John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley while creating beloved poems of his own.
6 Audiobooks
Coaches and Coaching
by Leigh Hunt
Captain Sword and Captain Pen: A Poem
by Leigh Hunt
The Town: Its Memorable Characters and Events
by Leigh Hunt
A Jar of Honey from Mount Hybla
by Leigh Hunt
About the author
Born in Southgate, Middlesex, on October 19, 1784, Leigh Hunt became one of the most distinctive literary figures of his time: a poet, essayist, critic, and editor with a gift for making serious ideas feel lively and approachable. Britannica describes him as an influential journal editor in an age when periodicals held enormous cultural power, while the Poetry Foundation places him at the center of English Romanticism.
Hunt co-founded The Examiner with his brother John Hunt and became known for his outspoken political journalism as well as his literary criticism. He moved in a remarkable circle of writers and is especially remembered for his friendships with John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, whose work he supported with enthusiasm.
Alongside his journalism, Hunt wrote a large body of poetry and prose. Readers still know him for poems such as Abou Ben Adhem and Jenny Kiss'd Me, and for essays that combine elegance, humor, and conversational ease. He died on August 28, 1859, in Putney, London, leaving behind a body of work that helped define the literary spirit of his age.