WRITER

William Langland

1332 - 1386

Photo of William Langland

Icon of person William Langland

William Langland (; Latin: Willielmus de Langland; c. 1332 – c. 1386) is the presumed author of a work of Middle English alliterative verse generally known as Piers Plowman, an allegory with a complex variety of religious themes. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of William Langland has received more than 367,465 page views. His biography is available in 28 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 24 in 2019). William Langland is the 4,184th most popular writer (down from 3,279th in 2019), the 3,002nd most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 2,427th in 2019) and the 336th most popular British Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 370k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 49.80

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 28

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 2.69

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.00

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

The Poetry of Cats
poetry, cats, English poetry
This is a unique celebration of that most beautiful and self-possessed of creatures--the cat. More than 50 poems are included, reflecting every feline mood: the comic, the aristocratic, the lazy, the cunning, the fierce, the inscrutable. Lovers of cats and lovers of poetry will be delighted by the wide-ranging nature of the collection by poets such as T.S. Elliot, Ted Hughes, W.B. Yeats, William Wordsworth, Edward Lear and many others. One of the most attractive features of the book is the choice of pictures. A stunning selection of drawings and paintings by such artists and illustrators as Renoir, Manet, Picasso, Hogarth, Cruikshank and Lear add to the charm of the verse, making this a book to be treasured by cat lovers everywhere.
1974
Langland's Vision of Piers the Plowman
Accessible book
1895
The vision of Piers the Plowman
Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages, Christian poetry, English (Middle), Modernized versions
1905
Piers the Plowman
Poetry, Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages, Christian poetry, English (Middle)
1377
Piers Plowman
Accessible book, Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages, Christian poetry, English (Middle)
A translation of the 14th century poem, which offers a picture of society in the late Middle Ages on the threshold of the early modern world.
1900

Page views of William Langlands by language

Over the past year William Langland has had the most page views in the with 42,885 views, followed by Russian (2,392), and French (2,299). In terms of yearly growth of page views the top 3 wikpedia editions are Armenian (55.98%), Welsh (49.65%), and Egyptian Arabic (45.19%)

Among WRITERS

Among writers, William Langland ranks 4,184 out of 7,302. Before him are Sahar Khalifeh, Rachid Boudjedra, Miyamoto Yuriko, René Depestre, Leigh Brackett, and Louise Erdrich. After him are Sonny Barger, Garsenda, Countess of Forcalquier, Frans Michael Franzén, Almudena Grandes, Dan Andersson, and Wafa Sultan.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1332, William Langland ranks 12. Before him are Xu Da, Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg, Vladislaus II of Opole, Muhammad VI of Granada, Franco Sacchetti, and Pero López de Ayala.  Among people deceased in 1386, William Langland ranks 7. Before him are Charles III of Naples, Leopold III, Duke of Austria, Leonor Teles, Joanna of Bavaria, Dan I of Wallachia, and Jacopo da Bologna. After him is Euphemia de Ross.

Others Born in 1332

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Others Deceased in 1386

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, William Langland ranks 3,002 out of 8,785. Before him are Ronald Lacey (1935), Charles Crichton (1910), Michael Winner (1935), Jack Clayton (1921), Richard Dadd (1817), and Derek Bell (1941). After him are Rowland Hill (1795), Timothy Laurence (1955), Andy Bell (1964), Richard Hooker (1554), John Winthrop (1588), and Henry Raeburn (1756).

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Among WRITERS In United Kingdom

Among writers born in United Kingdom, William Langland ranks 336. Before him are Peter Cheyney (1896), Jackie Collins (1937), Helen Fielding (1958), John Christopher (1922), Susanna Hall (1583), and Sue Townsend (1946). After him are John Winthrop (1588), Walter Map (1140), David Almond (1951), Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823), Anthony Hope (1863), and Richard Pococke (1704).

British born Writers

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