A pen name used by English essayist Charles Lamb in the early 19th century. Also a Hebrew name meaning 'my God is Yahweh.'
From Hebrew Eliyahu, meaning 'my God is Yahweh,' through Greek Elias. Charles Lamb adopted this as his pseudonym, possibly from a fellow clerk at the South Sea House named Elia.
Charles Lamb chose 'Elia' as his pen name to write more personally and whimsically than his real name would allow, creating one of literature's most charming personas. The Essays of Elia remain masterpieces of informal, conversational writing that influenced generations of personal essayists.
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