About
Charles Caleb Colton, baptized on 11 December 1777 at Shrivenham, Berkshire, was an English cleric and writer. Educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge, he served as perpetual curate of Prior's Quarter, Tiverton, and later as vicar of Kew and Petersham. He is best known for his aphoristic work *Lacon* (1820-1822), which was a bestseller. He originated the maxim 'Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.' Fleeing creditors in 1828, he traveled in the United States and then settled in Paris, where he gambled, amassing and losing a fortune. He died by suicide at Fontainebleau on 28 April 1832.
Major works
- Lacon; or, Many Things in Few Words (1820-1822)collection of aphorisms
- Hypocrisy; a Satire (1812)satire
- Remarks Critical and Moral on the Talents of Lord Byron (1819)literary criticism
- The Conflagration of Moscow (1822)poem
- Modern Antiquity, and Other Poems (1835)poetry collection
Key milestones
- 1801Received his B.A. from King's College, Cambridge, and became perpetual curate of Prior's Quarter, Tiverton.
- 1820Publication of the first volume of *Lacon*, which became a bestseller.
- 1832Died by suicide at Fontainebleau, France.
Themes
Aphorisms and maximsMorality and religionLiterary criticismSocial satireHuman nature
Sources: oxfordreference.com · en.m.wikisource.org · catalog.hathitrust.org