Elizabeth Jane Weston

Elizabeth Jane Weston (1581 – 1612), also known as Westonia, was born to Jane Cooper in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England. Nothing is known about her father, but her stepfather, Edward Kelley, was a notorious alchemist. Kelley, along with John Dee, was employed in the court of Rudolf II, which resulted in the family moving to Prague.

Westonia was mostly known for her Neo-Latin poetry, and she had the unusual distinction for a woman of that time of having her poetry published. The full works, published in two volumes in 1608, were entitled "Parthenica" (meaning Maidenly Writings). The subject matter varied between idyllic reveries, odes to Rudolf II (originally sent to him with the intention of convincing him to lend money), odes to herself, and anti-semitic diatribes.

Her command of languages was remarkable, being fluent in at least five: Czech, English, German, Italian, and Latin.

In 1603 she married a lawyer, Johnnes Leo, and eventually moved with him to England. Together, they had seven children, before she died in childbirth in 1612.

A collection of her poetry, edited and translated by Donald Cheney and Brenda M. Hosington, was published by the University of Toronto Press in 2000.

External links

* [http://www.radio.cz/en/article/80943 Radio Praha interview with an expert on the poetess]
* [http://www.bookrags.com/biography/elizabeth-jane-weston-dlb A biography]

Persondata
NAME= Weston, Elizabeth Jane
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Westonia
SHORT DESCRIPTION= English Czech poet
DATE OF BIRTH= 1581
PLACE OF BIRTH= Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
DATE OF DEATH= 1621
PLACE OF DEATH=