John Milton

John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant who wrote some of the greatest poetry in the English language. Born in London in 1608, he served as Secretary for Foreign Tongues under Oliver Cromwell and wrote Paradise Lost, widely considered the greatest epic poem in English, after going blind. Areopagitica is his passionate defence of the freedom of the press and against censorship, published in 1644. It remains one of the most influential arguments for free speech ever written. Milton's other works include Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes. Milton died in 1674. His audiobooks and books offer listeners and readers foundational English literature — from the greatest epic poem in the language to one of history's most powerful arguments for freedom of expression.