Origins & Early Life

John Addington Symonds Jr. (; 5 October 1840 – 19 April 1893) was an English poet and literary critic. A cultural historian, he was known for his work on the Renaissance, as well as numerous biographies of writers and artists. Although married with children, Symonds supported male love, which he believed could include pederastic as well as egalitarian relationships, referring to it as l'amour de l'impossible (love of the impossible).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He also wrote much poetry inspired by his same-sex affairs. Symonds was born in Bristol, England, in 1840. His father, the physician John Addington Symonds (1807–1871), was the author of Criminal Responsibility (1869), The Principles of Beauty (1857) and Sleep and Dreams. The younger Symonds, considered delicate, did not take part in games at Harrow School after the age of 14, and he showed no particular promise as a scholar. Symonds moved to Clifton Hill House at the age of ten, an event which he believed had a large and beneficial impact towards his health and spiritual development.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Symonds's delicate condition continued, and as a child he suffered from nightmares in which corpses in and under his bed prompted sleepwalking...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Alfred Thayer Mahan — Contemporary (Born in 1840) (1840): Pioneering American strategist whose work defined modern sea power doctrine.
• Alphonse Daudet — Contemporary (Born in 1840) (1840): French novelist celebrated for his evocative short stories and novels.
• Auguste Rodin — Contemporary (Born in 1840) (1840): Founder of modern sculpture, celebrated for naturalism and emotional depth.
• Albert Szent-Györgyi — Contemporary (Born in 1893) (1893): Pioneering Hungarian biochemist, Nobel laureate for Vitamin C and muscle research.
• Alexander Cunningham — Contemporary (Died in 1893) (1893): Pioneering British archaeologist and founder of the Archaeological Survey of India.
• Alfred Rosenberg — Contemporary (Born in 1893) (1893): Baltic German Nazi philosopher and convicted war criminal, key ideologue of the Third Reich.
• Al-Dhahabi — Shared historical date (10-05 · Born) (1274): Pioneering Syrian Sunni historian, biographer, and hadith scholar.
• Aleksey Khomyakov — Shared historical date (10-05 · Died) (1860): Founding theoretician of the Slavophile movement in Russian philosophy.
• Anthony van Diemen — Shared historical date (04-19 · Died) (1645): Dutch colonial governor whose career spanned the East Indies and marked early Australian encounters.
• Antony Tudor — Shared historical date (04-19 · Died) (1987): Pioneering English ballet choreographer, teacher, and dancer.
• 1840 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1840
• October 5 (10-05) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on October 5
• 1893 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1893
• April 19 (04-19) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on April 19