Literature in the Manx language, which shares common roots with the Gaelic literature and Pre-Christian mythology of Ireland and Scotland, is known from at least the early 16th century, when the majority of the population still belonged to the Catholic Church in the Isle of Man.
Early works were often religious in theme, including translations of the Book of Common Prayer, the Bible and Milton's Paradise Lost. Edward Faragher (Neddy Beg Hom Ruy; 1831–1908), who published poems, stories and translations, is considered the last major native writer of the language. The historian A. W. Moore collected traditional Manx-language songs and ballads in publications towards the end of the 19th century.
Yn Çheshaght Ghailckagh, the Manx Language Society, was founded at the end of the 19th century. The recent revival of Manx and the rise of Manx-medium education has resulted in new original works and translations being published in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, with particularly important authors including Brian Stowell (1936–2019) and Robert Corteen Carswell (born 1950).