1581 in literature

Events

• Stationer Thomas Marsh publishes Seneca's Tragedies in English, a collected edition of ten dramas written by Seneca the Younger (or attributed to him), translated by Jasper Heywood, John Studley, Alexander Neville, Thomas Newton, and Thomas Nuce. Most of the texts had been printed previously, from 1559 onward; but Newton's version of Thebais is new, and earlier printed texts of Studley's versions of Hercules Oetaeus and Hippolytus, if they ever existed, have not survived.
• John Dee starts to write Libri mysteriorum I-XVIII (Spiritual Diaries).

New books

• Second Book of Discipline
• William Lambarde - Eirenarcha: or of the Office of the Justices of Peace
• Ostrog Bible

New drama

• Edward Forsett - Pedantius (Latin)
• George Peele The Arraignment of Paris (a pastoral)
• Nathaniel Woodes - The Conflict of Conscience

Poetry

See 1581 in poetry

Births

• January 4 - Archbishop James Ussher, Anglo-Irish scholar (died 1656)
• March 16 - Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Dutch Golden Age writer (died 1647)
• date unknown
  • Henry Adamson, Scottish poet and historian (died 1639)
  • Jeremias Drexel, Jesuit writer of devotional literature
  • Christoph Helvig, German historian and theologian (died 1617)
  • Charles Malapert, Belgian Jesuit writer (died 1630)
  • Hieronim Morsztyn, Polish poet (died 1623)
  • Sir Thomas Overbury, English poet and essayist (died 1613)
• probable - Juan Ruiz de Alarcón, Mexican dramatist (died 1639)

Deaths

• September 6 - Guillaume Postel, French linguist (born 1510)
• September 28 - Achilles Statius, Portuguese humanist writer (born 1524)
• September 29 - Andreas Musculus, German theologian (born 1514)
• November 7 - Richard Davies, Welsh bishop and scholar (b. c1505)
• date unknown
  • Morys Clynnog, Welsh language author (born c. 1525))
  • Georgette de Montenay, courtier and author of an emblem book (born 1540)
  • Nicholas Sanders, English Catholic propagandist (born 1530)
  • Thomas Wilson, English rhetorician (born 1524)