author
Thomas Chatterton
1752–1770
A brilliant and troubled young poet, he became famous for vivid medieval-style writings that were so convincing they fooled many readers of his day. Though he died at just 17, his work and legend helped inspire the Romantic imagination that followed.
1 Audiobook
The Rowley Poems
by Thomas Chatterton
About the author
Born in Bristol in 1752, Thomas Chatterton showed unusual literary gifts from an early age. He is best known for the so-called Rowley poems, works he presented as writings by a medieval monk, blending imagination, historical interest, and remarkable verbal skill. The poems caused lasting debate because they were both literary achievements and elaborate literary deceptions.
Chatterton spent part of his short life working as an apprentice scrivener, while continuing to write poems, political pieces, and other prose. In 1770 he went to London hoping to make a living by his pen, but he died there that same year, still only 17.
After his death, his reputation grew enormously. Later writers and artists saw him as a symbol of youthful genius, and he became an important early influence on the Romantic movement, admired for both his inventive energy and the tragic story of his life.