John Milton: A Biography

by Neil Forsyth

John Milton has usually been regarded as 'the other great poet' in English literature, after Shakespeare. He is the only one of the world's great poets also to have been actively engaged in politics. A radical Protestant and staunch republican, he served as Latin secretary to Oliver Cromwell during the Commonwealth. After the restoration of Charles II, his life was probably saved by his fame as a poet. Apart from the great poems like Paradise Lost and Samson Agonistes, Milton also wrote eloquent treatises on topics including divorce, freedom of the press, kingship and education. This lively new biography by a renowned Milton scholar explores the psychological complexities of a man who must be counted one of the most significant and fascinating writers and thinkers of all time.

Genres: Biography

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 19, 2008

About the author

Neil Forsyth was born in Scotland in 1978 and grew up in the much admired city of Dundee. His writing career began in books (a largely forgotten form of communication made famous by Jesus and, separately, Agatha Christie). He has written two novels, Let Them Come Through and San Carlos while Other People’s Money, the true story of the Scottish credit card fraudster Elliot Castro was released in seven countries and is being developed as a feature film.

Forsyth first created Bob Servant in a trilogy of books: Delete This At Your Peril – The Bob Servant Emails, Bob Servant – Hero Of Dundee and Why Me? The Very Important Emails of Bob Servant. Forsyth wrote a BBC Radio 4 adaptation - The Bob Servant Emails followed by the television series Bob Servant Independent for BBC4.

Forsyth is currently developing sitcoms with the BBC and a show with ABC/DreamWorks for American TV. In 2012, he memorably came third in the Dundee Evening Telegraph’s Spirit of Dundee competition, losing out to television presenter Lorraine Kelly and the Verdant Works Jute Museum.

Reviews

[Sam Bagnall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good biography of Milton. But somehow, like a lot of stuff written about England's greatest poet, it somehow fails to relish the deep mystery of the man. As a public political figure, a lot is known about him, what he did and where he went. But the author of Paradise Lost was a genius on the scale of Homer or Dante and sometimes I think the power and significance of the poem is under estimated. But an informative and readable book.