1542 in literature

Events

• The diary begun by Luca Landucci is completed by an unknown hand.
• The earliest written example of the Romani language appears.

New books

Prose

• Paul Fagius – Liber Fidei seu Veritatis
• Edward Hall – ''The Union of the Two Noble and Illustrate Famelies of Lancastre & Yorke''

Poetry

• ''See 1542 in poetry''

Births

• December – Catherine Des Roches, French poet and writer
• unknown date – John of the Cross, Castilian poet and friar

Deaths

• January 10 – Gerard Geldenhouwer, Dutch historian
• June 14 – Christoph von Scheurl, German humanist writer
• October 11 – Sir Thomas Wyatt, English poet
• unknown date – Lucas Fernández, Spanish dramatist and musician, who wrote in the Leonese language