Charles Lamb

Lamb, Charles (1775–1834), English essayist and critic who often wrote under the name “Elia.” With his sister Mary Ann Lamb he wrote Tales from Shakespeare (1807) for children. His Essays of Elia (1823, 1833) contain insightful and humorous personal comments on many subjects. He helped revive interest in Elizabethan drama with Specimens of English Dramatic Poets (1808).