# Alexander Pope

## Biography

Alexander Pope was a prominent English poet and satirist of the Augustan period, born in London on May 21, 1688, to Roman Catholic parents. His father was a successful linen merchant. Due to laws restricting Catholics, Pope's formal education was limited, and he was largely self-taught, eagerly immersing himself in various languages and literatures from a young age. He also suffered from a spinal deformity and health issues that affected him throughout his life. Pope became a master of the heroic couplet and is celebrated for his wit and epigrammatic style. His most famous works include An Essay on Criticism, The Rape of the Lock, The Dunciad, and An Essay on Man. His translation of Homer’s Iliad brought him considerable financial success, making him one of the first English authors to live solely from his writing. He died on May 30, 1744, near London.

## Books

- [The Rape of the Lock and Other Poems](https://samolit.com/books/96129)
- [An Essay on Man; Moral Essays and Satires](https://samolit.com/books/95982)