1808 in literature

Events

• January 3 – The Examiner, "A Sunday paper, on politics, domestic economy, and theatricals", is established in London by John Hunt, edited by his brother Leigh Hunt.
• January 30 – The Théâtre St. Philippe opens in New Orleans, United States.
• September 20 – The first Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London, established in 1732, is destroyed by fire along with most of the scenery, costumes and scripts. Rebuilding begins in December.

• Charles Thomson's Bible Translation from the Greek is printed by Jane Aitken in Philadelphia.

  New books

Fiction

• James Norris Brewer – Mountville Castle
• Stéphanie Félicité, comtesse de Genlis – The Earl of Cork
• Sarah Green – Tankerville Family
• Elizabeth Hamilton – The Cottagers of Glenburnie
• Heinrich von Kleist – Die Marquise von O...
• Francis Lathom – The Northern Gallery
• Charles Maturin – The Wild Irish Boy
• Karoline Pichler – Agathocles
• Elizabeth Thomas – The Husband and Wife

  Children

• Ann Taylor and Jane Taylor – Hymns for Infant Minds

  Drama

• James Nelson Barker – The Indian Princess
• Matthäus Casimir von Collin – Belas Krieg mit dem Vater
• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe –
• Heinrich von Kleist
• *Penthesilea
• *The Broken Jug
• Adam Oehlenschläger
• *Baldur hin Gode
• *Hakon Jarl

  Poetry

• William Blake – Milton
• Friedrich Schiller – revised version of "Ode to Joy", which formed the basis for the lyrics of Beethoven's 9th Symphony
• Friedrich Hölderlin
• *"Der Rhein"
• *"Patmos"
• Walter Scott – Marmion

  Non-fiction

• Charles Fourier – The Theory of the Four Movements
• J. F. Fries – Neue oder anthropologische Kritik der Vernunft
• Johann Heinrich Jung – Theorie der Geisterkunde
• Karl Wilhelm Friedrich von Schlegel – Ãœber die Sprache und Weisheit der Indier
• Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert – Ansichten von der Nachtseite der Naturwissenschaft

  Births

• January 27 – David Strauss, German theologian and writer
• February 5 – Carl Spitzweg, German poet
• February 16 – Gustave Planche, French critic
• March 22 – Caroline Norton, English poet, pamphleteer and social reformer
• March 25 – José de Espronceda, Spanish poet
• April 18 – Teréz Karacs, Hungarian novelist, poet and memoirist
• May 22 – Gérard de Nerval, French poet and translator
• June 17 – Henrik Wergeland, Norwegian poet
• June 21 – John Critchley Prince, English poet
• June 22 – Xavier Marmier, French writer and translator
• June 28 – James Spedding, English author and editor
• July 10 – Solomon Northup, African-American memoirist
• September 9 – Wendela Hebbe, Swedish playwright, journalist and novelist
• October 21 – Julia Maitland, English writer on India and children's writer
• November 2 – Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly, French novelist
• Unknown date – Harriet Ward, English non-fiction and fiction writer

  Deaths

• February 12 – Anna Maria Bennett, English novelist
• April 4 – Lady Charlotte Murray, English writer and botanist
• May 2 – John Collins, English poet and entertainer
• September 5 – John Home, Scottish poet
• September 13 – Saverio Bettinelli, Italian man of letters
• September 25 – Richard Porson, English classicist
• November 4 – Melchiore Cesarotti, Italian poet
• December 28 – John Duncan, English miscellanist
• c. November/December – Nólsoyar Páll, Faroese merchant and poet, lost at sea

• Maria Riddell – West Indies-born poet, naturalist and travel writer