A neglected figure in comparison to other writers of the English romantic movement such as Coleridge, Wordsworth and Keats – all of whom knew him well – Charles Lamb was a singular and unusual talent. A poet, essayist, critic, playwright and children’s writer, Lamb was remarkably productive, especially given that he was never able to write full-time but was employed for 33 years by the East India Company and also responsible for caring for his mentally ill older sister Mary. Although in his lifetime he was admired for his essays and critical works – not to mention his connections to many leading writers and artists in early nineteenth-century London – nowadays Lamb is chiefly known for Tales from Shakespeare, an immensely popular collection of stories based on Shakespeare’s plays, created in collaboration with Mary.
