About
Andrew Lang, born on 31 March 1844 in Selkirk, Scotland, was a prolific and influential writer. After studying at Edinburgh, St Andrews, and Oxford, he became a fellow of Merton College. He is best known for his series of twelve fairy books, the 'Coloured Fairy Books', which captivated generations of young readers. Lang also produced major translations of the Homeric epics and made significant contributions to anthropology and the study of folklore. He wrote on Scottish history, poetry, and literary criticism. He died on 20 July 1912 in Banchory, Aberdeenshire.
* 1844-03-28 — † 1912-07-20
Major works
- The Blue Fairy Book (1889)fairy tale collection
- The Odyssey (1879)translation
- The Iliad (1883)translation
- Custom and Myth (1884)essay
- A History of Scotland from the Roman Occupation (1900)history
Key milestones
- 1868Elected fellow of Merton College, Oxford.
- 1888Appointed Gifford Lecturer at the University of St Andrews.
- 1906Elected Fellow of the British Academy.
Themes
Folklore and mythologyFairy talesPoetryScottish historyClassical translation
Sources: archives.collections.ed.ac.uk · britannica.com · archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk