Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
She was born in Scotland in 1772, lived at the heart of Georgian society, and yet defined herself by defiance of convention. Anne Barnard s charisma was undeniable: she wrote the most popular Scottish ballad of her day, had her poetry praised by Walter Scott, and at the age of eighteen dazzled Dr. Johnson with her repartee.
Both a beauty and a wit, Barnard had affairs with several prominent men but ended up marrying none of them. She lived independently and traveled by herself to Paris to observe the French Revolution. Her eventual marriage, to an impoverished, much younger army officer, scandalized polite society. The couple escaped to the Cape Colony, England s first African possession, where Barnard painted the vivid landscapes and worked on her memoirs.
Stephen Taylor has been given access to the private papers, including six volumes of unpublished memoirs. They show Lady Anne Barnard to be one of the extraordinary chroniclers of her time.
"
Synopsis
Born in Scotland in 1772, Lady Anne Barnard lived at the heart of Georgian society. She wrote one of the most popular ballads of her day, captivated Sir Walter Scott with her poetry, rubbed shoulders with the Prince of Wales, and dazzled Samuel Johnson with her repartee. Lady Anne's charisma and talent were undeniable; she was well known as both a beauty and a wit. However, she was also seen as an eccentric--an artist defined by her defiance of convention.
Lady Anne had romantic affairs with several prominent men, but she married none of them. She preferred to live independently--even traveling alone to Paris during the upheaval of the French Revolution. When she did marry, it was to an impoverished army officer many years her junior. The pairing scandalized polite society. Hounded by gossip, the couple escaped to the Cape Colony--England's first African possession--where Lady Anne painted the vibrant landscapes and penned her memoirs. An indefatigable diarist, she proved herself one of the extraordinary chroniclers of the era.
Stephen Taylor draws on Lady Anne's private papers, including six volumes of her never-before-published memoirs, to construct a vivid biography of her remarkable life. Illustrated with Lady Anne's own drawings as well as portraits by her contemporaries, Defiance offers a lively and wholly absorbing portrayal of a woman far ahead of her time.