author

William Ernest Henley

1849–1903

Best remembered for “Invictus,” William Ernest Henley turned years of illness and hardship into poetry marked by courage, defiance, and vivid human feeling. His influence also reached beyond verse, shaping Victorian literary culture and inspiring figures in Treasure Island and Peter Pan.

9 Audiobooks

Views and Reviews: Essays in appreciation: Literature

by William Ernest Henley

The Plays of W. E. Henley and R. L. Stevenson

by William Ernest Henley, Robert Louis Stevenson

Poems

by William Ernest Henley

Hawthorn and Lavender, with Other Verses

by William Ernest Henley

The Song of the Sword, and Other Verses

by William Ernest Henley

Slang and its analogues past and present, volume 1 [of 7] : A dictionary, historical and comparative, of the heterodox speech of all classes of society for more than three hundred years. With synonyms in English, French, German, Italian, etc.

by John Stephen Farmer, William Ernest Henley

Slang and its analogues past and present, volume 2 [of 7] : A dictionary, historical and comparative, of the heterodox speech of all classes of society for more than three hundred years. With synonyms in English, French, German, Italian, etc.

by John Stephen Farmer, William Ernest Henley

Slang and its analogues past and present, volume 3 [of 7] : A dictionary, historical and comparative, of the heterodox speech of all classes of society for more than three hundred years. With synonyms in English, French, German, Italian, etc.

by John Stephen Farmer, William Ernest Henley

Slang and its analogues past and present, volume 4 [of 7] : A dictionary, historical and comparative, of the heterodox speech of all classes of society for more than three hundred years. With synonyms in English, French, German, Italian, etc.

by John Stephen Farmer, William Ernest Henley

About the author

William Ernest Henley (1849–1903) was an English poet, critic, editor, and journalist. Born in Gloucester, he became one of the lively voices of late Victorian literary life and is best known for “Invictus,” written in 1875. His collections included In Hospital, A Book of Verses, and London Voluntaries.

Henley suffered from tuberculosis of the bone from childhood and lost his left leg below the knee. During a long hospital stay in Edinburgh, he wrote the poems later collected as In Hospital, works noted for their realism and early use of free verse. His strength and distinctive appearance helped inspire Robert Louis Stevenson’s Long John Silver, while Henley’s daughter Margaret is associated with J. M. Barrie’s choice of the name Wendy. Henley died in Woking, Surrey, on July 11, 1903.