Robert Southey (1774 –1843) was an English Romantic poet, and Poet Laureate for 30 years. He was a prolific letter writer, literary scholar, historian and biographer. Perhaps his most enduring contribution to literary history is The Story of the Three Bears, the original Goldilocks story, first published in Southey's prose collection The Doctor. His biographies include the life and works of John Bunyan, John Wesley, William Cowper, Oliver Cromwell and Horatio Nelson.
