James Henry Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)
Southgate, Middlesex

James Henry Leigh Hunt was born to a clergyman who later ended up in prison due to debts. He was intrigued by the world of politics and prose. He quickly befriended others like him such as Percy Bysshe Shelley or Charles Lamb. Leigh Hunt started writing poems and political articles and worked for the News as a drama critic. With his brother, in 1808 he launched a political journal, The Examiner. This political journal supported political radicals such as Sir Francis Burdett or Robert Owen. Leigh Hunt upset the authorities by pointing out on the front page of every edition of the political journal that half the cost of the price was the result of the government's "tax on knowledge". Authority punished Leigh Hunt and his brother by arresting them and charging them with libel after publishing an article criticizing the Prince Regent. The brothers were found guilty and sentenced to two years' imprisonment and a £500 fine. In prison Leigh Hunt continued to edit the Examiner. After leaving prison, Leigh continued to work for the Examiner until 1821. He traveled to Italy with Byron and Shelley. The three published a journal there free from British authority and it became a wide success.

Criticism

Leigh Hunt manly wrote articles and was a journalist. His radical views greatly influenced and inspired other writers to express themselves.

Works
1816 Story of Rimini
1819-21 The Indicator
1822-23 The Liberal
1830-32 The Tatler
1834-35 Leigh Hunt's London Journal
1850 Autobiography

Additional Information
Selected Prose and Poetry by Leigh Hunt -
< http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/rp/authors/huntleig.html >

Sources:

"Hunt, Leigh" The Columbia Encyclopedia. Sixth Edition. Feb 2001. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001.< http://www.bartleby.com/65/sh/ShelleyP.html >

Noyes, Russell. English Romantic Poetry and Prose. New York: Oxford University Press, 1956.