John Lyly

John Lyly, whose surname is also spelled Lilly, Lylie or Lylly, was an English writer, playwright, courtier and parliamentarian. He first achieved success with two books, Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit of 1578 and its sequel Euphues and His England of 1580, and then became a dramatist. He was born around 1553 or 1554 and buried on 30 November 1606. Of his plays that survive, at least six were performed before Queen Elizabeth I. His distinctive and much imitated literary style, named after the title character of his two books, is known as euphuism, and he is sometimes grouped with the University Wits, such as Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Nashe.