The Realist Poet of Veerashaiva Telangana | Author of Basava Purana & Panditaradhya Charitamu 12th–13th Century CE · Veerashaiva Literary Tradition · Janu Telugu · Kakatiya Era · Samadhi Tradition at Palakurthi Photo: AI Palakurthi Somanatha (also spelled Palakuriki Somanatha) was a medieval Telugu poet and a major figure in the Veerashaiva (Lingayat) literary tradition . He is generally placed in the 12th–13th centuries, although the precise da…

A Life of Simplicity, Self-Reliance, and Deliberate Living 1854 CE | 18 Chapters | Memoir, Philosophy, Nature Writing | Transcendentalism | Walden Pond, Concord, Massachusetts | Pure reflection Among the most influential works of American literature, Walden by Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) is a record of two years, two months, and two days spent living in a small cabin on the shores of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Rejecting the frantic…

John Milton – The Epic of Fallen Angels, Human Disobedience, and the Hope of Redemption 1667 (10 books) | 1674 (12 books) | Blank Verse | Biblical Epic | Satan, Adam, Eve, Messiah | Pure poetry Among the greatest works of English literature, Paradise Lost by John Milton (1608-1674) stands as a monumental epic that dares to “justify the ways of God to men.” Written in blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter), the poem recounts the biblical story of…

The First Modern Novel, a Tale of Idealism, Madness, and the Enduring Power of Imagination 1605 (Part 1) | 1615 (Part 2) | Spanish Golden Age | Novel | Alonso Quijano, Sancho Panza, Dulcinea | Literature Among the most influential works of world literature, Don Quixote (full title: El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha ) by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) is celebrated as the first modern novel. Published in two parts (1605 and 161…

JA Satirical Masterpiece of Human Folly, Politics, and Pride 1726 CE | 4 Voyages | Satire | Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, Houyhnhnms | Pure wit Among the most enduring works of English literature, Gulliver’s Travels (full title: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts, by Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships ) by Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) is far more than a children’s fantasy of giants and …