Who was the first colonial poet to be published in Europe?

Who was the first colonial poet to be published in Europe?

• A. Phillis Wheatley
• B. Edward Taylor
• C. Anne Bradstreet
• D. Samuel Davies

Answer: (C)

Publication across the Atlantic is what this question hinges on. Anne Bradstreet, a Puritan poet from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, had her collection The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America printed in London in 1650. That makes her the first colonial poet to have work published in Europe. The other poets listed did not achieve European publication in the colonial period: Phillis Wheatley’s poetry appeared later, primarily in the 18th century; Edward Taylor’s versos circulated mainly in manuscript and were not published in Europe during that time; Samuel Davies is a later figure whose work did not achieve European publication in the colonial era. So Bradstreet stands out as the earliest colonial poet published in Europe.

Publication across the Atlantic is what this question hinges on. Anne Bradstreet, a Puritan poet from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, had her collection The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America printed in London in 1650. That makes her the first colonial poet to have work published in Europe. The other poets listed did not achieve European publication in the colonial period: Phillis Wheatley’s poetry appeared later, primarily in the 18th century; Edward Taylor’s versos circulated mainly in manuscript and were not published in Europe during that time; Samuel Davies is a later figure whose work did not achieve European publication in the colonial era. So Bradstreet stands out as the earliest colonial poet published in Europe.