Manx literature

Manx literature is literature in the Manx language.

The earliest datable text in Manx (preserved in 18th century manuscripts), a poetic history of the Isle of Man from the introduction of Christianity, dates to the 16th century at the latest.

Christianity has been an overwhelming influence on Manx literature. Religious literature was common, but surviving secular writing much rarer. The Book of Common Prayer and Bible were translated into Manx in the 17th and 18th centuries. The first Manx Bible was printed between 1771 and 1775 and is the source and standard for modern Manx orthography. It was a collective translation undertaken by most the Manx clergy under the editorship of Philip Moore. Further editions followed in 1777 and 1819. A tradition of carvals, religious songs or carols, developed, probably with its roots in the pre-Reformation period. Until the 18th century, the authors of carvals were generally clergy, but in the 19th century new words would be put to popular tunes for use in churches and chapels.