Fun Facts Friday: William Congreve

William Congreve (24 January, 1670 – 19 January, 1729) was a playwright and poet from England, who wrote clever, satirical comedies.

Books by William Congreve*

1. Born in Bardsey Grange, which is near Ledston, West Yorkshire now a village and civil parish.
2. Mr. Congreve went to Kilkenny College meeting Jonathan Swift. He later went to Trinity College but moved to London to study medicine.
3. In 1692 he published Incognita: or, Love and Duty reconcil’d under the pseudonym Cleophil which gained him recognition among England’s intellectual class.
4. Though meetings with other literary persons he met poet and playwright John Dryden and became his devoted student.
5. Mr. Dryden supported Congreve throughout his life.
6. In 1693 Mr. Congreve became famous throughout England by writing several popular plays, rave reviews by John Dryden helped.
7. He was a minor politician in the British Whig Party, and was appointed by George I to a position in Jamaica.
8. During his time in Jamaica he stopped writing plays (his style went out of favor in England), and concentrated on poetry and translated works of Homer and others.
9. Even though he was never married, Mr. Congreve was rumored to have been together with several actresses and noblewomen.
10. In 1728 Mr. Congreve was in a carriage accident and never managed to recover. He passed away several months later in London.

Books by William Congreve*

Zohar – Man of la Book
*Ama­zon links point to an affil­i­ate account