Wyatt or Wyat, Sir Thomas (1503?-1542)

Wyatt or Wyat, Sir Thomas (1503?-1542)

English poet, known for his production of the first sonnets in English in his translations of Petrarch and for his popularization of other Italian and French verse-forms among the English writers of the 16th century. Wyatt was influenced by Serafino dell' Aquila, Pietro Aretino, Luigi Alamanni, Sannazaro, and other French and Italian poets of the time. His own poetry is characterized by extreme irregularity of rhythm, which 19th-century scholars regarded as evidence of crudity of technique. In the 20th century, however, critics began to point out that this irregularity was important in the total effect of the poems, comparing it with the dramatic rhythm of John Donne; they also praised the vigor and authentic intensity of feeling embodied in Wyatt's best poems. His work appeared in several anthologies of his time, as Seven Penitential Psalms ( 1549), a collection of religious poetry in imitation of a similar undertaking by Aretino; The Court of Venus ( 1542); and Tottel's Miscellany ( 1557).

Wyatt held a number of official positions under Henry VIII, including those of member of the Privy Council, ambassador to Spain, Member of Parliament, and Commander of the Fleet. During his career he was twice imprisoned: once at the time of the fall of Anne Boleyn, whose lover he was suspected of being; and again in 1541, during his ambassadorship to Spain, when he was charged with treason, although he was later able to clear himself. It was during an official trip to Italy in 1527 that he became acquainted with the work of the Italian love-poets. He was a friend of the Earl of Surrey and had a strong influence on the writing of the younger man; together, Wyatt and Surrey are credited as the founders of the school of English lyric poetry which flourished during the remainder of the 16th century and into the 17th.