1611 in literature

The year 1611 in literature involved some significant literary events and new works.

Events

• January 1 – Oberon, the Faery Prince, a masque written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones, is performed at Whitehall Palace.
• February 3 – Love Freed from Ignorance and Folly, another Jonson/Jones masque, is staged at Whitehall.
• May 2 – The Authorized King James Version of the Bible is published,^[1] printed in London by Robert Barker.
• May 11 – First recorded performance of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, probably new this year,^[2] by the King's Men at the Globe Theatre in London.
• November 1 – The King's Men perform The Tempest, Shakespeare's last solo play, perhaps for the first time, at Whitehall Palace.
• November 5 – The King's Men perform The Winter's Tale at Whitehall Palace.
• December 26 – The King's Men return to Court with Beaumont and Fletcher's A King and No King.
• December 27 – Queen Anne's Men act one of their most popular plays, Greene's Tu Quoque (The City Gallant; probably written by John Cooke) at Court, having previously performed it at the Red Bull Theatre.^[3]
• Last known traditional performance of an English mystery play, at Kendal.
• Juan Ruiz de Alarcón returns to Spain from Mexico.

New books

• The Holy Bible, Authorized King James Version
• Jacques Bongars – Gesta Dei per Francos
• Thomas Coryat – Coryat's Crudities hastily gobbled up in Five Months Travels in France, Italy, &c
• John Donne – An Anatomy of the World
• Giolla Brighde Ó hEoghusa (Bonaventura Ó hEoghusa or O'Hussey) – An Teagasc Criosdaidhe
• Samuel Rowlands – The Knave of Clubs
• John Speed:
  • The Historie of Great Britaine
  • The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine (map atlas)

New drama

• Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher – A King and No King
• George Chapman – May Day (published)
• John Cooke (?) – Greene's Tu Quoque
• Thomas Dekker and Thomas Middleton – The Roaring Girl published
• Thomas Dekker – If This Be Not a Good Play, the Devil Is In It
• Thomas Heywood – The Golden Age published
• Ben Jonson
  • Oberon, the Faery Prince
  • Love Freed from Ignorance and Folly
  • Catiline His Conspiracy published^[1]
• Johannes Messenius – Disa
• Thomas Middleton (attributed to) – The Second Maiden's Tragedy
• Anthony Munday – Chryso-Thriambos
• William Shakespeare – The Tempest (consensus date)
• Cyril Tourneur – The Atheist's Tragedy published^[1]

Poetry

See also 1611 in poetry

• Richard Braithwaite – The Golden Fleece
• John Donne – An Anatomy of the World
• Emilia Lanier – Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum

Births

• September 1 – William Cartwright, English dramatist (died 1643)
• October 22 – Jacques Esprit ("abbé Esprit"), French moralist (died 1677)
• October 26 – Antonio Coello, Spanish dramatist and poet (died 1652)
• Unknown dates
  • Richard Alleine, English religious writer (died 1681)
  • Charles Alphonse du Fresnoy, French writer on art and painter (died 1665)
  • Thomas Urquhart, Scottish translator (died c. 1660)
• Probable year of birth – Jean François Sarrazin, French satirist (died 1654)

Deaths

• February 8 – Jan Huyghen van Linschoten, Dutch historian (born 1563)
• March 11 – Giles Fletcher, the Elder, English poet and diplomat (born c. 1548)
• March 20 – Johann Georg Gödelmann, German demonological writer (born 1559)
• April 23 – Martin Ruland the Younger, German alchemist and editor of his father's writings (born 1569)
• June 8 – Jean Bertaut, French poet (born 1552)
• September 22 – Pedro de Ribadeneira, Spanish ecclesiastical historian (born 1527)
• Unknown date – John Hamilton, Scottish Catholic controversialist (born c. 1547)

References