Edward George Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) was an English politician, poet, playwright, and successful novelist. In a career spanning more than forty years he wrote a stream of novels which were read widely in the English-speaking world. He coined the phrases "the great unwashed," "pursuit of the almighty dollar," "the pen is mightier than the sword," and the famous opening line from PAUL CLIFFORD, "It was a dark and stormy night."