Storming Heaven

Storming Heaven is an exploration of the lives of four outstanding individuals of the Elizabethan Renaissance: Essex, Marlowe, Raleigh and Donne. Each was to a greater or lesser degree a poet, though Essex and Raleigh were primarily men of action. While Essex and Marlowe are quintessential Elizabethans, Raleigh and Donne lived on beyond the Elizabethan period to see the beginnings of a new and stormy era leading to the English Civil War and beyond.

The mixture of biography, poetry, analysis, and historical narrative employed in the text, is designed to highlight the unique character and achievements of each, in the context of the greater ambitions and striving of their age. It makes use of theatrical elements of the period, including astrology and the employment of heightened language, as well as insights from our own period derived from anthropology and the history of religion, primarily the concept of the Goddess.

The lives of Donne, Raleigh and Marlowe show the close interrelation between poetry and contemporary events, and with that of Essex highlight the intense conflicts beneath the glittering surface of the age. Contrasting and complementing each other, in character and achievements, the four individuals exemplify the richness of thought and feeling within their society at a crucial moment in English history, out of which many elements of the modern age developed.


About the Author


Anthony Kline lives in England. He graduated in Mathematics from the University of Manchester, and was Chief Information Officer (Systems Director) of a large UK Company, before dedicating himself to his literary work and interests. He was born in 1947. His work consists of translations of poetry; critical works, biographical history with poetry as a central theme; and his own original poetry. He has translated into English from Latin, Ancient Greek, Classical Chinese and the European languages. He also maintains a deep interest in developments in Mathematics and the Sciences.


He continues to write predominantly for the Internet, making all works available in download format, with an added focus on the rapidly developing area of electronic books. His most extensive works are complete translations of Ovid's Metamorphoses and Dante's Divine Comedy.