1589 in literature

This article presents lists of the literary events and publications in 1589.

Events

• January – The Children of Paul's perform twice at the English royal court during the first two weeks of the year.
• March – Marprelate Controversy: Bishop Thomas Cooper's Admonition prompts Marprelate's response in the form of a tract entitled Hay any Worke for Cooper.
• July – John Penry's printing press produces two tracts purporting to be by sons of Martin Marprelate, but probably by Martin himself: Theses Martinianae by "Martin Junior", and The Just Censure of Martin Junior by "Martin Senior".
• 1588–1589 – This is the earliest probable date for the composition of Christopher Marlowe's The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus and its first performance, in London.

New books

Prose

• Jane Anger – '
• Thoinot Arbeau – Orchésographie
• Giovanni Botero – (The Reason of State)
• Robert Greene – Menaphon
• Richard Hakluyt – The Principal Navigations, Voiages, Traffiques and Discoueries of the English Nation, vol. 1
• John Lyly (attr.) – Pappe with an Hatchet (Part of the Marprelate Controversy)
• George Puttenham (probable author) – The Arte of English Poesie
• Lorenzo Scupoli – Il combattimento spirituale
• Water Margin (水浒传, Shui Hu Zhuan; earliest known complete printed edition)