Robert Southey (1774–1843) was a British Romantic poet, member of the "Lake Poets," and England's Poet Laureate from 1813 to his death in 1843. He wrote the first version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears in 1834. Dowden's acclaimed biography of Southey, part of the popular English Men of Letters series, is an excellent resource for anyone passionate about poetry and literature.