Biography

Divine Songs and Meditations (1653) is about the only source of information and inferences that can be gathered to get a “picture” of its author, An Collins. So here are the assumptions and surmises regarding Collins. Collins lived in 17th-centuryth century England. She most likely lived in a rural area and struggled with pain, mobility, and other health issues which are reflected in her writings. Religion was an important influence on her writings but it is unclear whether she was a Calvinist or Catholic. Nonetheless, she is notably one of the first female published poets of England. Her poetry also gives us a snapshot of English life mid-17th century.

Wailand Groenendyk
CCEL Staff Writer