Edwin Atherstone (1788–1872) was a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

. His works, which were planned on an imposing scale, attracted some temporary attention and applause, but are now forgotten. His chief poem, '' The Fall of Nineveh'', consisting of thirty books, appeared at intervals from 1828 to 1868. It narrates about war waged by the coalition of many nations led by Median prince Arbaces and Babylonian priest Belesis against the tyrannical king of Assyria Sardanapalus, who, after being defeated in many battles, burns his own palace and dies within. He wrote also ''The Last Days of Herculaneum; and, Abradates and Panthea: Poems'' (1821), ''A Midsummer Day's Dream: a Poem'' (1824) and ''Israel in Egypt: a Poem'' (1861). He was a close friend and associate of the painter John Martin, whose well-known painting "The Fall of Nineveh" was produced in conjunction with Atherstone's poem. He also produced two novels, ''The Sea Kings in England'' and ''The Handwriting on the Wall''. The first one tells about the Viking invasion of England at the time of king

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...

. Atherstone's plays were published posthumously by his daughter, Mary Elizabeth Atherstone in 1888.Atherstone, Edwin.

Works

* 1824
''A midsummer day's dream, a poem''
* 1828
''The fall of Nineveh, a poem''. The first six books
1828 * 1858
''The handwriting on the wall, a story''
* 1868
''The fall of Nineveh, a poem''. Volume 2
Second edition: diligently corrected and otherwise improved * 1888
''Dramatic works''
Edited by his daughter, Mary Elizabeth Atherstone

References

* 1788 births 1872 deaths English male poets 19th-century English novelists English male novelists 19th-century English male writers {{england-writer-stub