1779 in poetry

Events

• Phillis Wheatley advertises six times in the Boston Evening Post & General Advertiser for subscribers to a volume of poetry she proposes to publish, but the volume never appears, apparently for lack of support; United States

Works published

United Kingdom">English poetry">United Kingdom

• William Cowper and John Newton, Olney Hymns, 66 by Cowper, another 282 by Newton; the work was popular, with many editions published
• Robert Fergusson, Poems on Various Subjects, Part 2 of Poems 1773
• William Hayley, Epistle to Admiral Keppel, published anonymously
• Samuel Johnson, Prefaces, Biographical and Critical, to the Works of the English Poets, in 10 volumes, with later editions titled Lives of the English Poets; 52 critical biographies
• Ann Murry, ''Poems on Various Subjects''

United States">American poetry">United States

• Philip Freneau, "The House of Night"
• Jonathan Odell, "Word of Congress"
• Charles Henry Wharton, ''A Poetical Epistle to His Excellency George Washington''

Births

• January 20 - Adam Oehlenschläger, Danish poet
• March 3 - Matthäus Casimir von Collin, Austrian poet
• March 30 - Antoine Ó Raifteiri, Irish poet, "last of the wandering bards"
• May 28 - Thomas Moore, Irish-born poet, singer, songwriter and entertainer
• July 15 - Clement Moore, American credited as the author of "A Visit from St. Nicholas"
• August 1 - Francis Scott Key, American lawyer, writer and amateur poet, author of the words to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner"
• November 5 - Washington Allston, American poet and painter

Deaths

• March 4 - Heinrich Leopold Wagner, German writer and poet
• April 1 - John Langhorne, English poet and clergyman
• April 20 - Thomas Penrose, English poet and clergyman
• July 29 - Peter Wilhelm Hensler, German
• August 3 - Kenrick Prescot, English scholar and poet
• September 7 - John Armstrong, Scottish-born poet and physician
• Also:
• * Elizabeth Amherst, English poet and amateur naturalist