1589 in literature
This article presents lists of the literary events and publications in 1589.
Events
- January – The Children of Paul's perform twice at the English royal court during the first two weeks of the year.
- March – Marprelate Controversy: Bishop Thomas Cooper's Admonition prompts Marprelate's response in the form of a tract entitled Hay any Worke for Cooper.
- July – John Penry's printing press produces two tracts purporting to be by sons of Martin Marprelate, but probably by Martin himself: Theses Martinianae by "Martin Junior", and The Just Censure of Martin Junior by "Martin Senior".
- 1588–1589 – This is the earliest probable date for the composition of Christopher Marlowe's The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus and its first performance, in London.
New books
Prose
- Jane Anger –
- Thoinot Arbeau – Orchésographie
- Giovanni Botero – Della ragione di Stato
- Robert Greene – Menaphon
- Richard Hakluyt – The Principal Navigations, Voiages, Traffiques and Discoueries of the English Nation, vol. 1
- John Lyly – Pappe with an Hatchet
- George Puttenham – The Arte of English Poesie
- Lorenzo Scupoli – Il combattimento spirituale
- ''Water Margin
Drama
- Girolamo Bargagli – La Pellegrina
- Robert Greene – Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay
- Thomas Kyd? – Hamlet
- Christopher Marlowe – The Jew of Malta
- George Peele? – The Troublesome Reign of King John
- ''The Rare Triumphs of Love and Fortune''
Poetry
Births
- March 3 – Gisbertus Voetius, Dutch Calvinist theologian
- Unknown dates
- *Heinrich Petraeus, German physician and writer
- *Antonio de León Pinelo, Peru-born Spanish historian
Deaths
- March 22 – Lodovico Guicciardini, Italian merchant and writer
- March 23 – Marcin Kromer, Polish historian
- July 1 – Christophe Plantin, French-born Dutch printer
- August 31 – Jurij Dalmatin, Slovenian writer and translator
- September 16 – Michael Baius, Belgian theologian
- September 19 – Jean-Antoine de Baïf, French poet
- October 12 – Samuel de Medina, Talmudist and author from Thessaloniki
- October 15 – Jacopo Zabarella, Italian philosopher
- Unknown date – Thomas Sampson, English theologian and translator