Thomas North

author

Thomas North

Best known for bringing Plutarch to English readers, this Tudor translator helped shape the stories that later echoed through Shakespeare’s Roman plays. His work still stands out for its energy, color, and lasting influence on English prose.

1 Audiobook

Five Years in Texas Or, What you did not hear during the war from January 1861 to January 1866. A narrative of his travels, experiences, and observation

Five Years in Texas Or, What you did not hear during the war from January 1861 to January 1866. A narrative of his travels, experiences, and observation

by Thomas North

About the author

Sir Thomas North was an English translator, lawyer, military officer, and justice of the peace, born on May 28, 1535. He is remembered above all for his 1579 English version of Plutarch’s Parallel Lives, translated from the French version by Jacques Amyot.

That book became especially important because it was a major source for William Shakespeare’s Roman plays, including Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus. North’s prose was admired for being vivid and forceful, and it helped give classical history a lively new voice in English.

Although much about his life remains uncertain, his reputation has lasted because of the reach of his translations. For many readers, he is one of those quiet but essential literary figures whose words traveled far beyond his own time.