This week in Christian history: Anne Bradstreet dies, missionary goes to China, Huguenot massacre in Florida
Anne Bradstreet dies — Sept. 16, 1672
This week marks the anniversary of when Anne Bradstreet, a notable Puritan poet whose literary work focused on faith and contemplation, died.
A native of England who settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony, Bradstreet first had her poems published in England in 1650 by her brother-in-law.
“Long considered primarily of historical interest, she won critical acceptance in the 20th century as a writer of enduring verse, particularly for her sequence of religious poems, ‘Contemplations,’ written for her family and not published until the mid-19th century,” noted Britannica.
“A scholarly edition of her work was edited by John Harvard Ellis in 1867. In 1956, the poet John Berryman paid tribute to her in Homage to Mistress Bradstreet, a long poem that incorporates many phrases from her writings.”
