Percy Bysshe Shelley (; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English
Romantic poets, and is regarded by some as among the finest
lyric, as well as
epic, poets in the English language. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not see fame during his lifetime, but recognition for his poetry grew steadily following his death. Shelley was a key member of a close circle of visionary poets and writers that included
Lord Byron;
Leigh Hunt;
Thomas Love Peacock; and his own second wife,
Mary Shelley, the author of
Frankenstein.