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.

Prose

 * Jane Anger – 
 * Thoinot Arbeau – Orchésographie
 * Giovanni Botero – Della ragione di Stato (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)

Drama

 * Girolamo Bargagli – La Pellegrina (The Pilgrim Woman)
 * Robert Greene – Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay
 * Thomas Kyd? – Hamlet (the "Ur-Hamlet", latest date)
 * Christopher Marlowe – The Jew of Malta (probably written 1589–90)
 * George Peele? – The Troublesome Reign of King John (approximate year)
 * The Rare Triumphs of Love and Fortune (anonymous; published)

Poetry

 * Anne Dowriche (AD) – The French Historie
 * Christopher Marlowe – The Passionate Shepherd to His Love

Births

 * March 3 – Gisbertus Voetius, Dutch Calvinist theologian (died 1676)
 * Unknown dates
 * Heinrich Petraeus, German physician and writer (died 1620)
 * Antonio de León Pinelo, Peru-born Spanish historian (died c. 1675)

Deaths

 * March 22 – Lodovico Guicciardini, Italian merchant and writer (born 1521)
 * March 23 – Marcin Kromer, Polish historian (born 1512)
 * July 1 – Christophe Plantin, French-born Dutch printer (born c. 1520)
 * August 31 – Jurij Dalmatin, Slovenian writer and translator (born c. 1547)
 * September 16 – Michael Baius, Belgian theologian (born 1513)
 * September 19 – Jean-Antoine de Baïf, French poet (born 1532)
 * October 12 – Samuel de Medina, Talmudist and author from Thessaloniki (born 1505)
 * October 15 – Jacopo Zabarella, Italian philosopher (born 1532)
 * Unknown date – Thomas Sampson, English theologian and translator (born c. 1517)