Milton: Poet, Pamphleteer, and Patriot

by Anna Beer

John Milton was one of the world’s greatest poets, the renowned author of Paradise Lost . But he was also deeply involved in political and religious controversies of his time, and authored a series of radical pamphlets on free speech, divorce, and civil rights that proposed a rethinking of the nature and practice of government. In countless biographies, Milton has been crudely sketched either as a blind, saintly artist or as a domestic tyrant. Yet as Anna Beer shows, he was neither ogre nor paragon. By closely examining all aspects of Milton’s life and its social historical context, Beer succeeds in bringing an enigmatic pillar of English literature to life, four centuries after his birth.

480 pages, Paperback

Published August 4, 2009

About the author

Anna's first book, type-written when she was 12, was 'Wuthering Claudia', written for, featuring, and strongly influenced by her classmates at Chiswick Community School. Now, several decades on, she continues to write about what interests her - and hopes will interest others. Her latest book, 'Sounds and Sweet Airs: the Forgotten Women of Classical Music' tells the fascinating and inspiring stories of eight female composers. It's a book that's been in her mind for years, and it's truly exciting to see it come to life.

Writing 'Sounds' has brought together a number of Anna's long-standing activities and passions - music, obviously; writing, even more obviously; thinking about women's lives in the past (which was the impetus for her book on Bess Throckmorton, wife to Sir Walter Ralegh); thinking about the material conditions necessary for the creation of 'great art' (which was one of the ideas behind her biography of John Milton).

Alongside her work as a biographer, Anna teaches English Literature and Creative Writing to undergraduates and postgraduates; contributes to the Oxford Student Texts series for Oxford University Press; and makes regular lecture and media appearances.

Anna's blog (www.shadowofthecourtesan.wordpress.com) reveals that research, writing and teaching are not Anna's only passions: she loves cycling (sometimes a long long way); good food and really good wine; and wandering around dirty, beautiful cities. Oh, and long-distance trains.