1673 in literature
This article presents lists of the literary events and publications in 1673.
Events
- February 10 – The première of Molière's comédie-ballet ''The Imaginary Invalid takes place in Paris. During the fourth performance, on February 17, the playwright, playing the title rôle, collapses on stage, dying soon after.
- Thomas Killigrew is appointed Master of the Revels in England, on the death of his predecessor, Sir Henry Herbert.
- In response to events of the Third Anglo-Dutch War, John Dryden's topical play Amboyna, about happenings in the East Indies, is reportedly "contrived and written in a month" – certainly one of the fastest acts of solo dramatic composition known. The play is premièred on stage in May.
- Elkanah Settle's tragedy The Empress of Morocco, premièred on July 3 at the Dorset Gardens Theatre in London by the Duke's Company, is published in quarto; in addition to its frontispiece illustration, the quarto contains five woodcuts depicting scenes in the play – the first English play text illustrated in this way. Settle's play also inspires a farce with the same title, probably by Thomas Duffet, performed by the King's Company and published the following year.
- Archpriest Petrovich Avvakum writes his Zhitie'', as the first Russian autobiography.
- Antonio Magliabechi is appointed librarian to Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.
New books
Prose
- Bathsua Makin – An Essay to Revive the Ancient Education of Gentlewomen
- England's appeal from the Private Cabal at Whitehall to the Great Council of the Nation by a true Lover of his Country – pamphlet attributed to Sir William Coventry
- Francis Kirkman – The Unlucky Citizen
- John Ray – Observations topographical, moral, and physiological, made on a Journey through part of the Low Countries, Germany, Italy, and France
- Johannes Schefferus – Lapponia
- Shugi Washo
- Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet – Observations upon the United Provinces of the Netherlands
- Thomas Traherne – ''Roman Forgeries''
Drama
- Joseph Arrowsmith – The Reformation
- Aphra Behn – The Dutch Lover
- Pedro Calderon de la Barca – La vida es sueño
- Sir William Davenant – News from Plymouth, The Law Against Lovers, The Fair Favourite, and The Siege published posthumously
- John Dryden
- *Amboyna, or the Cruelties of the Dutch to the English Merchants
- *Marriage à la Mode
- Thomas Duffet – The Spanish Rogue
- Molière – Le malade imaginaire
- Henry Nevil Payne – The Fatal Jealousy
- Edward Ravenscroft – The Careless Lovers
- Elkanah Settle – ''The Empress of Morocco''
Poetry
- Poems of Mr. John Milton
- Bernarda Ferreira de la Cerda – ''España libertada''
Births
- January 1 – Johannes Kelpius, German Pietist writer
- October 26 – Dimitrie Cantemir, Moldavian prince and man of letters
- Unknown dates
- *Antoine Banier, French historian and translator
- *George Lockhart, Scottish politician and writer
- *John Oldmixon, English historian
Deaths
- February 17 – Molière, French playwright
- March – Joseph Caryl, English Biblical commentator and preacher
- March 15 – Salvator Rosa, Italian painter and poet
- May 4 – Richard Brathwait, English poet
- November 16 – Katarina Zrinska, Croatian poet
- December 15 – Margaret Cavendish, English writer and scientist
- Unknown date – Ingen, Chinese-born Buddhist poet