Pierre de Ronsard (1524-85) was leader of the Pleiade group of poets. He is most famous for his Odes and his later sonnet sequences, which were a great influence on the English sonnet writers of the 16th century.
Malcolm Quainton is Professor of French at Lancaster University. He is the author of Distant Voices Still Heard with John O'Brien (Liverpool University Press, 2000). Elizabeth Vinestock teaches French literature at Lancaster University.