Edward
George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
E. Bulwer Lytton
PC (25
May 1803 – 18 January 1873), was an English novelist, poet,
playwright, and politician.
He was immensely popular with the reading public and wrote a stream
of bestselling novels which earned him a considerable fortune. He
coined the phrases "the
great unwashed, "The House and the Brain*","pursuit
of the almighty
dollar",
"the
pen is mightier than the sword",
as well as the infamous opening line "It
was a dark and stormy night".
The English Rosicrucian society, founded in 1867 by Robert Wentworth Little, claimed Bulwer-Lytton as their 'Grand Patron', but he wrote to the society complaining that he was 'extremely surprised' by their use of the title, as he had 'never sanctioned such'.[12] Nevertheless, a number of esoteric groups have continued to claim Bulwer-Lytton as their own, chiefly because some of his writings—such as the 1842 book Zanoni—have included Rosicrucian and other esoteric notions.
The English Rosicrucian society, founded in 1867 by Robert Wentworth Little, claimed Bulwer-Lytton as their 'Grand Patron', but he wrote to the society complaining that he was 'extremely surprised' by their use of the title, as he had 'never sanctioned such'.[12] Nevertheless, a number of esoteric groups have continued to claim Bulwer-Lytton as their own, chiefly because some of his writings—such as the 1842 book Zanoni—have included Rosicrucian and other esoteric notions.