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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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(1772–1834)
One of the leading poets of the *Romantic movement, whose *Ancient Mariner and *Kubla Khan are among the best-known poems in the language. Born in Devon, the son of a clergyman, he was educated at *Christ's Hospital and at Jesus College, Cambridge. From his early adult life he was closely involved with other leading poets of his generation. With *Southey he developed in 1794 a political creed, pantisocracy, the purpose of which was to establish a utopian community in America; and he and Southey married two sisters, Sara and Edith Fricker (Coleridge's relationship with Sara was somewhat reluctant from the start and the marriage was not a success).
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With *Wordsworth he published in 1798 a joint selection of their poems, *Lyrical Ballads, in which Coleridge's contribution included The Ancient Mariner. The great love of Coleridge's life, Sara Hutchinson, had a sister, Mary, who married Wordsworth. In 1800 he moved to Keswick, to be near Wordsworth in the Lake District, but he stayed there only till 1804.
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In his twenties he became addicted to opium, the only good result of which was Kubla Khan. His struggle against addiction, the distress of his waning poetic powers and the pain of his love for the other Sara are movingly recounted in journals and private papers, published in the 20C as his Notebooks. Throughout his life he was also a prolific and profound literary critic.
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