Essayist, born in London, England, UK. He studied at Christ's Hospital, and worked as a clerk for the East India Company (1792--1825). He achieved success through joint publication with his sister, Mary (1764--1847), of Tales from Shakespeare (1807), and they followed this by other works for children. In 1818 he published his collected verse and prose, and was invited to join the staff of the new London Magazine. This led to his best-known works, the series of essays under his pseudonym, the Essays of Elia (1823--33).