Isaac Gompertz (1774 – 25 February 1856) was an English poet. He was known for the poems "The Modern Antique", "Time, or Light and Shade" and "Devon", the latter of which was published under the name J. Gompertz.
Biography
Early life and family
Isaac Gompertz was born into a Jewish family in Middlesex, in 1774.[1][2] He was one of at least 15 children of Solomon Barent Gompertz, a London diamond merchant, and his second wife, Leah Deborah Cohen.[1] His brothers included the animal rights activist and inventor Lewis Gompertz and the mathematician and actuary Benjamin Gompertz.[3] He later composed epitaphs for his brother Barent and for Lewis' wife.[4][5]
Career
Gompertz was known for his poems "The Modern Antique", "Time, or Light and Shade", and "Devon".[6] Contemporaries, including Alexander Jamieson,[7] compared Gompertz to literary figures such as Dryden, Pope, Addison and Gray.[8] His works garnered positive attention from Leigh Hunt and were well received by the contemporary press.[9][10] His final work, Devon, a Poem, was published under the name J. Gompertz.[1]
Personal life and death
On 3 December 1818, Gompertz married Charlotte Florence Wattier at St Mary's Church, Ealing. They had three sons.[1]
Gompertz died at his home in Ebury Street, London, on 25 February 1856, at the age of 82. He was buried at Brompton Cemetery.[1]
Publications
- The Modern Antique; Or, The Muse in the Costume of Queen Anne (London: W. Pople, 1813; published anonymously)
- Time, or Light and Shade (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1815)
- Devon, a Poem (Teignmouth: 1825; published under the name J. Gompertz)
References
- ^ a b c d e "Gompertz, Isaac". Jackson Bibliography of Romantic Poetry. University of Toronto Libraries. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "GOMPERTZ Isaac". CemeteryScribes. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ Jacobs, Joseph; Harris, Isidore (1906). "GOMPERTZ, ISAAC". Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Susser, Bernard (2003). The Jews of South-West England (Thesis). Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ Gompertz, Lewis (1852). "Epitaph, by Isaac Gompertz, Esq., on the lamented wife of the author of the work". Fragments in Defence of Animals, and Essays on Morals, Soul, and Future State. London: W. Horsell. p. 292.
- ^ The Assurance Magazine, and Journal of the Institute of Actuaries. Vol. 13. London: C. & E. Layton. 1867. p. 2.
- ^ Rubinstein, William D.; Jolles, Michael; Rubinstein, Hilary L., eds. (2011). "Gompertz Family". The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 352. ISBN 978-1-4039-3910-4.
- ^ Emden, Paul Herman (1944). Jews of Britain: A Series of Biographies. London: S. Low, Marston & Company, Limited. p. 171.
- ^ Kearley, William Henry (1896). "Isaac Gompertz". West-Country Poets: Their Lives and Works. London: Elliot Stock. p. 210.
- ^ The Menorah: A Monthly Magazine for the Jewish Home. Vol. 7. Menorah Publishing Company. 1889. p. 211.
External links
Quotations related to Isaac Gompertz at Wikiquote- Isaac Gompertz Papers at the Jewish Theological Seminary Library
