Literary beef

Did you know that Shakespeare held grudges?

Image: Kelly Sikkema

We sometimes fail to remember that literary geniuses are still human and driven by the same impulses that move ordinary people. No matter their style or ideologies, sometimes their motivations are simple: affection for their friends and disdain for their enemies. More than a few literary masterpieces have been influenced in some way by these passions, even if the final result was a work of art. Here are ten rivalries and friendships that left their mark on literature!

Image: Pierre Bamin

The Romantics were known for being dramatic and capricious, and Lord Byron was not an exception. Between his many feuds, he had a particular rivalry with John Keats. Keats despised Byron because of his charisma, nobility, and general snobbery, and Byron despised Keats because he was a struggling, middle-class poet.

After Keats’ death due to tuberculosis, other writers claimed that negative literary critiques had taken a toll on his already fragile health. Byron publicly lamented Keats’ passing, but he later mentioned him in his Don Juan as someone "who was kill'd off by one critique".

Image: Annie Spratt

A key figure of the Modernist movement, T. S. Eliot is known for both his literary works and his critical essays. His poem The Waste Land is considered one of the most important literary works of the 20th century, and has served as inspiration for countless authors.

What many people don’t know is that The Waste Land would have looked very different if not for the influence of another writer, Ezra Pound. A mentor and friend to Eliot, Pound was given ample liberty to edit the first draft, so much so that Eliot considered him to be ‘the mother’ of the poem. The Waste Land is dedicated to Pound, whom Eliot calls il miglior fabbro or ‘the best craftsman.’

Image: stefano stacchini

We might think of Shakespeare as one of the greatest literary minds in history, but the Bard had his fair share of detractors in his time. One of the best-known cases is his feud with the writer Robert Greene, who called him "an upstart crow, beautified in our feathers," accusing him of plagiarism and of being bombastic in his writing.

Shakespeare’s answer was twofold: He first wrote Titus Andronicus, one of the goriest, most over-the-top plays of the time. Then, he wrote A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is plagued with references to several well-known classical authors.

Image: Alexander Grey

All of Jane Austen's novels are filled with pointed social commentary and critiques, but Northanger Abbey stands out for also being a satire of a popular genre of that time: the Gothic novel.

But Austen was not happy with making a parody of the genre. She called out by name several Gothic novels and authors, making it clear that these works were harmful for the readers, especially young, impressionable girls without world experience.

Image: Mick Haupt

The first part of The Quixote was an instant success upon publication. After a few years without a second part, an opportunist published a sequel under the pseudonym ‘Avellaneda’, something Cervantes was not happy about.

Cervantes then penned a continuation in record time, making clear to the readers that Avellaneda’s work was not part of the original story. How did he accomplish this? By having Don Quixote himself talk about Avellaneda’s work and how it was a poor representation of his character. To ensure it wouldn’t happen again, the story ended with the death of Don Quixote.

Image: jaikishan patel

Another key figure in Modernist poetry, E.E. Cummings wrote over two thousand poems in his lifetime, on top of several theater plays. Although he had published several books, in the 1930s, one of his poem collections kept being rejected by editors.

After 14 rejections, Cummings decided to self-publish the book with his mother’s help. The chosen title, No Thanks, was his ironic response to the editors, to whom he dedicated the book. All fourteen editors appear in the dedication, their names forming the shape of a funeral urn.

Image: Towfiqu barbhuiya

The Spanish literary scene of the 17th century was filled with geniuses, who for the most part couldn’t stand each other. Luis de Góngora and Francisco de Quevedo were two of the most important poets of the time, and they were sworn enemies due to their adherence to opposite poetry styles.

Their literary and personal differences often resulted in satirical poems filled with insults, mocking each other’s writing styles, and resorting to direct attacks about physical characteristics, such as Gongora’s big nose or Quevedo’s limp.

Image: Joshua J. Cotten

To Kill a Mockingbird has often been called one of the Great American novels, garnering critical acclaim and several prizes. Its author, Harper Lee, was from the Southern U.S., and her personal experiences appear throughout the novel.

Not everyone knows about her childhood friendship with Truman Capote, one that they maintained well into adulthood, with Lee even including Capote in her novel. Although she never confirmed it, it is widely believed that Capote was the inspiration for Dill Harris.

Image: Yoksel 🌿 Zok

The first Romantic poets, Wordsworth and Coleridge, were the start of a literary movement that wouldn’t have been possible without friendship. Meeting by chance, they created a bond so strong that Coleridge moved to be close to Wordsworth and his family.

Out of their friendship and common literary ideals, they decided to write together the Lyrical Ballads, a book that is considered the starting point of Romanticism. Sadly, their views started diverging later in life, which created a rift between them.

Image: Ed Robertson

The 18th century was a great time for the English novel, and it saw the emergence of many authors who are now considered essential to the genre. But like with any era where great minds abound, these geniuses were not necessarily cordial with each other. Henry Fielding, prone to satirical, realistic writing, was not fond of Samuel Richardson, who wrote more sentimental, moralistic novels.

After the publication of Richardson’s Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, Fielding decided to write his own version of the story, titled Shamela (the full title was An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews). In it, he told the "true" story of Pamela, parodying Richardson and the morals he preached.

Some names stick around

From Table Tap Joe to Ziggy Stardust: Who are the best song characters?

Sometimes, a character is the perfect alter-ego to write a song about oneself without self-referencing so much. Other times, a character is just a character. Over the years, musicians have come up with lonely dreamers, fearless heroes, mysterious strangers, and even supernatural villains who have become just as famous as the songs themselves. Some were inspired by real people, others sprang entirely from imagination, but all of them left a lasting mark on music history. Which of these 12 do you remember?

Tom Waits has always had a soft spot for society's oddballs, and few are even stranger than Table Top Joe. Introduced on the 2002 album Alice, Joe is born with only a head and hands, yet grows into a brilliant piano player whose extraordinary talent earns him fame despite the odds stacked against him.

The song unfolds like a forgotten American folk tale, complete with references to Coney Island's legendary Dreamland amusement park and composer Igor Stravinsky. Although many listeners assume the story is based on an old carnival legend, Table Top Joe is entirely Tom Waits' own creation.

Few fictional musicians have ever become as famous as Ziggy Stardust. Introduced in 1972, Ziggy is an alien rock star sent to Earth shortly before humanity's end, only to be consumed by the very fame that makes him a savior to millions.

David Bowie blurred the line between fiction and reality by performing as Ziggy onstage for more than a year. When he unexpectedly announced Ziggy's retirement during a concert at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1973, many fans believed the character, and perhaps Bowie himself, had truly reached the end of the story.

Tommy Walker isn't just the hero of a song, he's the central figure of one of rock music's first great operas. After witnessing a traumatic event as a child, Tommy becomes deaf, mute, and blind, yet somehow develops astonishing pinball skills that transform him into an unlikely celebrity.

Pete Townshend built an entire musical world around Tommy, exploring themes of trauma, faith, and redemption. First released in 1969, Tommy later became a hit film, a Broadway production, and one of the most influential concept albums ever recorded.

Johnny B. Goode is every aspiring musician's dream. Growing up in rural Louisiana with little more than a guitar and natural talent, he plays so brilliantly that listeners predict "his name will be in lights."

Chuck Berry based the character partly on himself and partly on pianist Johnnie Johnson. Originally described as a "colored boy," Johnny became a "country boy" in the final lyrics, making the song more likely to receive airplay during the segregation era. Nearly two decades later, Johnny's anthem would even travel into space aboard NASA's Voyager Golden Record.

Few fictional characters have captured loneliness as powerfully as Eleanor Rigby. She quietly moves through life unnoticed, while Father McKenzie delivers sermons that no one hears, creating one of popular music's saddest portraits of isolation.

Paul McCartney later explained that Eleanor's name came from actress Eleanor Bron and the Liverpool shop Rigby & Evens. The discovery of an actual Eleanor Rigby gravestone in Liverpool only deepened the song's mystique, though McCartney maintained the coincidence was unintentional.

Billie Jean may be one of pop music's most famous women, yet Michael Jackson insisted she wasn't a real person. Instead, she represented several women who falsely claimed that he had fathered their children during the height of the Jackson 5's fame.

Released in 1983 as part of Thriller, the song became a global phenomenon. It also provided the stage for Jackson's legendary moonwalk during Motown 25.

Unlike many legendary song characters, Stagger Lee actually existed. His real name was Lee Shelton, a St. Louis criminal who murdered Billy Lyons during an argument over a hat on Christmas Eve in 1895.

The shocking crime quickly entered American folklore through countless folk songs before Lloyd Price transformed it into a chart-topping hit in 1958. More than a century later, Stagger Lee remains one of the most enduring antiheroes in American music.

Tom Dooley was inspired by Thomas Dula, a Confederate veteran executed in North Carolina in 1868 after being convicted of murdering Laura Foster. His surname was locally pronounced "Dooley," giving the ballad its familiar title.

The Kingston Trio revived the old Appalachian folk song in 1958, turning it into an international hit and helping launch America's folk music revival.

When the narrator of "Lola" meets an intriguing stranger in a Soho nightclub, expectations quickly give way to surprise. Ray Davies crafted one of rock's earliest mainstream stories exploring gender ambiguity, decades before the topic entered popular conversation.

The recording rarely reached British radio. Because BBC rules prohibited commercial product names, Davies had to interrupt a U.S. tour and fly back to London simply to replace the lyric "Coca-Cola" with the now-famous "cherry cola."

Unlike most famous song characters, the Piano Man is really Billy Joel himself. Before becoming a superstar, Joel spent six months in 1972 and 1973 performing under the pseudonym Bill Martin at the Executive Room, a piano bar in Los Angeles, after becoming trapped in a bad recording contract. The song transforms those experiences into a bittersweet portrait of ordinary people searching for escape at the end of another week.

Joel has said that virtually every character in the song was based on a real person, from bartender John to "Paul, the real estate novelist" and Davy, who really was in the Navy. Yet the Piano Man himself became the story's most enduring character: a quiet observer who offers music as a brief refuge for dreamers, lonely souls, and regulars alike. More than fifty years after its 1973 release, "Piano Man" remains Billy Joel's signature song, and its title has effectively become his lifelong nickname.

Standing nearly seven feet tall and missing an arm, Amos Moses roams the Louisiana swamps hunting alligators. Jerry Reed filled the song with colorful Southern expressions and exaggerated storytelling that make Amos feel like an authentic folk legend.

Although fictional, Amos embodies the larger-than-life heroes found throughout American tall tales. His adventures turned the song into one of Reed's biggest crossover hits and secured Amos a permanent place among country music's greatest characters.

Big Bad John hardly says a word, but he doesn't have to. The towering coal miner earns everyone's respect through quiet strength before sacrificing his own life to save fellow workers when a mine collapses.

Jimmy Dean's 1961 ballad became a smash hit, winning a Grammy and inspiring several sequel songs. More than sixty years later, Big Bad John still stands as one of country music's defining working-class heroes.