John Owen
John Owen was a notable Welsh poet and educator, born in 1564 in Llanarmon, Caernarvonshire, Wales. He received a robust education at Winchester School and New College, Oxford, earning a bachelor’s degree in civil law in 1590. Owen's teaching career included roles as a schoolmaster in Trelech and later as headmaster of Warwick, King Henry VIII’s school. He is best known for his literary contributions, particularly ten volumes of Latin epigrams published between 1606 and 1612, which drew inspiration from the Roman poet Martial. His epigrams addressed a variety of themes, including societal norms and offered both praise and satirical commentary on various subjects, including religion and prominent figures of his time. Despite some personal controversies, such as being disinherited by an uncle due to his critical views on Roman Catholicism, Owen's work gained acclaim and was widely appreciated, especially in Germany. His writing was characterized by wit and wordplay, making a significant impact on English literature and inspiring future poets. Owen passed away in London in 1622, marking the end of a distinguished yet relatively brief literary career.
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John Owen
Writer
- Born: 1564
- Birthplace: Llanarmon, Caernarvonshire, Wales
- Died: 1622
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
John Owen was born in Llanarmon, Caernarvonshire, Wales, in 1564. His father was sheriff of Caernarvonshire. Owen was educated at Winchester School and at New College, Oxford. He received a bachelor of civil law degree in 1590, and he stayed an additional year at Oxford before returning to Wales to teach at Trelech, Monmouthshire. A few years later he became headmaster of Warwick, King Henry VIII’s school.
Composition of Latin verse was a standard element of sixteenth and seventeenth century English education, and one scholar has noted that at Winchester, in particular, much of the education was focused on teaching students to write Latin epigrams. That training prepared Owen for what was to be his body of literary work—ten books of Latin epigrams, published from 1606 through 1612. Owen modeled his work on the Latin poetry of Martial, especially capturing Martial’s use of the witty barb, wordplay, and the distich, or two-line verse. However, he was less successful in imitating Martial’s light metrical touch.
In keeping with the tradition of the epigram and the tastes of his time, Owen dealt with many conventional topics, such as right behavior in receiving honors. He offered barbed comments about physicians, academics, and women, providing praise, description, and satiric jibes. According to some accounts, he was disinherited by an uncle who disliked his epigrammatic jab at Roman Catholicism, but for the most part Owen remained impartial in handling topics of religious controversy. Some of the epigrams praised famous people, particularly members of the royal family and the writers Sir Philip Sidney, Samuel Daniel, and John Harington. He also commended Sir Thomas Overbury’s short essays, which are themselves epigrammatic pictures of the world.
Owen’s work immediately met an appreciative readership; the first volume was reprinted within a month of its publication, and the entire collection was translated into English five times before the end of the seventeenth century, although most of the translations fell far short of the wit and wordplay, including puns and anagrams, of the original. Owen’s work was particularly popular in Germany, it inspired a generation of imitators in England and Scotland, and it was much admired by the prose stylist Robert Burton. After his last volume was published, Owen ceased writing. He died in London in 1622.