1520 in literature

• unknown dates
• Scholars at Complutense University, Alcalá de Henares, under the direction of Diego Lopez de Zúñiga, complete the Complutensian Polyglot Bible.
• Ulrich von Hutten's satirical poem Aufwecker der teutschen Nation (Awakener of the German Nation) is published – his earliest work in German.{{Cite book |editor=Magnusson, Magnus |title=Chambers Biographical Dictionary |location=Cambridge; Edinburgh |publisher=Cambridge University Press; W. & R. Chambers Ltd |edition=5th |year=1990 |isbn=0-550-16040-X |url=https://archive.org/details/chambersbiograph00magn}}

• Hochstratus Ovans
• Martin Luther
• To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation (An den christlichen Adel deutscher Nation)
• On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church (De captivitate Babylonica ecclesiae praeludium)
• On the Freedom of a Christian
• Niccolò Machiavelli – Discourse on Reforming the Government of Florence (Discorso sopra il riformare lo stato di Firenze)
• Shin Maha Thilawuntha – Yazawin Kyaw (Burmese), supplement
• Ruyijun zhuan (claimed completion date)

• John Heywood – Johan Johan The Husband
• Approximate year – Niccolò Machiavelli: Andria

{{main|1520 in poetry}}

• Robert Copland – {{sic|hide=y|L'enuoy of Robert Coplande}} (published in London by Wynkyn de Worde){{cite web |url=http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/hasrg/ats/engpo5-toc.html |work=Academic Text Service (ATS) |title=Chadwyck-Healey English Poetry Database – Tudor Poetry, 1500-1603 |publisher=Stanford University Library |accessdate=2009-09-08 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608071217/http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/hasrg/ats/engpo5-toc.html |archivedate=2011-06-08 |url-status=dead }}
• Terence (translated) – Terens in Englysh (published in Paris)
• Approximate year
• John Lydgate – Testament{{cite book |editor=Cox, Michael |title=The Concise Oxford Chronology of English Literature |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 |isbn=0-19-860634-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/conciseoxfordchr00coxm}}
• Alexander the Great
• The Squire of Low Degree (written c. 1500; published in London by Wynkyn de Worde)

• March 3 – Matthias Flacius, German Lutheran theologian (died 1575){{cite book|author=Alexander Chalmers|title=The General Biographical Dictionary Containing an Historical and Critical Account of the Lives and Writings of the Most Eminent Persons|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=80pMAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA228|year=1815|publisher=J. Nichols|pages=228}}
• unknown date
• François Baudouin, French humanist historian (died 1573){{cite book|author=John Henry Wigmore|title=A General Survey of Events, Sources, Persons and Movements in Continental Legal History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JQAtAAAAYAAJ|year=1912|publisher=Little, Brown|page=257}}
• Natalis Comes, Italian mythologist, poet and historian (died 1582)
• Denis Lambin, French classicist (died 1572)
• probable
• Hernando de Acuña, Spanish poet (died 1580){{cite book|author=Henry Alfred Todd|title=Romanic Review|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NwzVAAAAMAAJ|year=1916|publisher=Department of French and Romance Philology of Columbia University|page=315}}
• Giovanni Bona de Boliris, Italian humanist, poet and writer, writing in Latin and Italian (died 1572)
• Thomas Churchyard, English author and poet (died 1604){{cite book|author=Matthew Woodcock|title=Thomas Churchyard: Pen, Sword, and Ego|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GztADQAAQBAJ&pg=PA19|year=2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-968430-4|pages=19}}
• Pernette Du Guillet, French poet (died 1545){{cite book|author1=Denis Hollier|author2=R. Howard Bloch|title=A New History of French Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nGQOodBVG9YC&pg=PA213|year=1994|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-61566-3|pages=213}}
• Jorge de Montemor, Portuguese novelist and poet, writing in Spanish (died 1561)
• Christophe Plantin, French-born Dutch humanist and printer (died 1589){{cite book|author=Colin Clair|title=Christopher Plantin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o6XgAAAAMAAJ|year=1960|publisher=Cassell|page=1}}
• Madeleine Des Roches (Madeleine Neveu), French author, poet and salonnière (died 1587){{cite book|author1=Madeleine Roches|author2=Catherine Roches|title=From Mother and Daughter: Poems, Dialogues, and Letters of Les Dames des Roches|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3eYJi84WpQEC&pg=PA2|date=1 November 2007|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-72339-6|pages=2–}}
• Alexander Scott, Scottish poet (died 1582/83)
• Georg Thym, German teacher, poet and writer (died 1560)

• March 16 – Martin Waldseemüller, German humanist and cartographer (born c.1470){{cite journal |last1=Van Duzer |first1=Chet |last2=Larger |first2=Benoît |title=Martin Waldseemuller's Death Date |journal=Imago Mundi |date=2011 |volume=63 |issue=2}}
• May 31 – Johannes Aesticampianus, German humanist theologian (born 1457){{cite book|author=John Flood|title=Poets Laureate in the Holy Roman Empire: A Bio-bibliographical Handbook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B1ujbUq3NOcC&pg=PA1672|date=8 September 2011|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-091274-6|pages=1672}}
• unknown date – William Dunbar, Scottish poet (born 1459/60){{cite book|author=Thomas Campbell|title=An Essay on English Poetry; with notices of the British poets|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-jYCAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA138|year=1848|publisher=John Murray|pages=138}}

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Year in literature article categories}}