Past: william shakespeare was an English poet and playwright.
(because he is dead)
Now: He is often called the national poet of England.
He is still called a national poet.
If it is within the scope of criticizing the work, use the present tense.
For example, "He used the technique of XXXX" and "He used the technique of XXXX".
The use of the present tense in literature
The present tense is used because we assume that texts talk to the present, even if their authors have died and/or written these words in the past. Therefore, write down the text and/or the author as if they were composing music at the moment.
this means
This is an abstract present tense usage. When we read a work, we assume that the work now tells us directly about itself (even if the author is dead, it is a thing of the past). Therefore, when writing works and authors, we think that the author is creating before our eyes.
* * * Only in literature, excluding other fields. * * *