Alanus de Insulis (Alain de Lille)

Alanus de Insulis, also known as Alain de Lille or Alanus Anglicus, was a distinguished medieval theologian and poet who flourished during the latter half of the twelfth century and early thirteenth century. Scholars long debated whether he was identical with Alanus, the Bishop of Auxerre and friend of Saint Bernard, though his identity as the celebrated poet known as Doctor Universalis ("Universal Doctor") is firmly established.

His principal literary achievements include Parables, a widely respected collection prior to the Renaissance, and Liber de Planctu Naturae ("The Plaint of Nature"), written in a blend of verse and prose. However, his reputation rests primarily upon Anti-Claudianus, a major moral epic in nine books praised by centuries of scholars for its elegance and stylistic charm. Eminent critics such as Archbishop Richard Chenevix Trench noted that passages depicting a natural paradise display marked Ovidian flair.

A complete collection of his writings was edited by C. de Visch and published in Antwerp in 1654, with major works later reprinted in Thomas Wright's Anglo-Latin Satirical Poets (1872). Among his poetic compositions, "Omnis Mundi creatura" became particularly well known and was translated into English by Philip Stanhope Worsley in his 1863 Poems and Translations.