author
William Benson
1682–1754
Best remembered as an energetic but controversial figure in early 18th-century Britain, he moved between politics, architecture, and literary criticism with unusual confidence. His writing on poetry and translation gives a lively glimpse into the literary arguments of his day.
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About the author
Born in 1682, William Benson was an English critic, politician, and amateur architect whose career ranged widely across public life. He traveled in Germany and Sweden when he was young, later entered politics as a Whig, and served in the House of Commons in the 1710s.
Benson also became known in literary circles. He wrote Letters Concerning Poetical Translations, a work that discusses poetry, translation, and major writers such as Virgil and Milton. That mix of public ambition and literary opinion helped make him a noticeable, if sometimes disputed, figure in his own time.
He is also remembered for his brief and unsuccessful period as Surveyor of the King's Works, a post connected with royal building projects. Benson died on February 2, 1754.