James Shirley (1596 – 1666) James Shirley was a leading dramatist of the Caroline stage. He was born in London on September 13, 1596, and educated at Merchant Taylors’ School and St. John’s College, Oxford. In 1615 he was at St. Catherine’s Hall, Cambridge, and by 1618 had published his first work, a long poem called Echo; or, The Unfortunate Lovers, which has since disappeared. In 1620, Shirley took holy orders...

James Joyce (1882 -1941) James Joyce, Irish novelist, was noted for his experimental use of language in works such as Ulysses (1922) and Finneganns Wake (1939). Joyce’s technical innovations in the art of the novel in-clude an extensive use of interior monologue; he used a complex network of symbolic parallels drawn from the mythology, history and literature, and created a unique language of invented words, puns and allusions. James Joyce was...

Jackie Collins Jackie Collins was born in London. Her father was a theatrical booking agent and intended both daughters to go into the theatre. Jackie and Joan grew around the entertainment business and they both were encouraged toward acting career. But when Joan Collins established herself as a star in Hollywood, Jackie found her talents in popular fiction. However, her novels The Stud (1969) and its sequel, The Bitch (1979), were...