Paradise Lost

Name: Paradise Lost
Author: John Milton

John Milton (1608–1674) was an English poet and polemicist who served the Commonwealth government as Latin secretary. Blind by his forties, he dictated the work that made his fame: Paradise Lost (1667), an epic in blank verse retelling the Fall of Adam and Eve. His prose defended religious and civil liberty, and his shorter poems include the pastoral elegy Lycidas and many sonnets.

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First published: 1667
Categories: Christian Literature, Hymns & Poetry
Length: 80k words · about 5 hours
Chapters: 10
Narration: 🎧 Volunteer Readers

About this book

John Milton's epic poem retells the fall of Satan, the temptation of Adam and Eve, and the loss of Eden, aiming — in Milton's own words — to 'justify the ways of God to men.' Composed after Milton had gone blind and published in 1667, its twelve books combine majestic blank verse with deep meditation on obedience, freedom, and redemption.