Synopses & Reviews
George Gordon Byron was a superb letter-writer: almost all his letters, whatever the subject or whoever the recipient, are enlivened by his wit, his irony, his honesty, and the sharpness of his observation of people. They provide a vivid self-portrait of the man who, of all his contemporaries, seems to express attitudes and feelings most in tune with the twentieth century. In addition, they offer a mirror of his own time. This first collected edition of all Byron's known letters supersedes Prothero's incomplete edition at the turn of the century. It includes a considerable number of hitherto unpublished letters and the complete text of many that were bowdlerized by former editors for a variety of reasons. Prothero's edition included 1,198 letters. This edition has more than 3,000, over 80 percent of them transcribed entirely from the original manuscripts. In the fifth installment of this marvelous serial story, we read about Byron's separation from his wife. Besides his pleading letters to Annabella asking her to reconsider, there are level-headed letters to Murray and Hobhouse and Hunt and Rogers--all written during the tempestuous time before his final departure from England. The accounts written during the ensuing summer, of Waterloo and the Rhine and Switzerland, reveal new depths of Byron's maturing mind. But the very best letters here are the ones from Italy: freed from the inhibitions of English society, Byron's spirit seems to expand and his letters reflect the joie de vivre that, despite his melancholy, was an inherent part of his character.
Review
Irresistible. -- Richard H. Fogle, Ralph F. Matlaw, Murk Schorer, and Geoffrey Hartman
Review
Marchand's new edition of Byron's letters and diaries is a delight to read. New York Review of Books
Review
Irresistible. The New Yorker
Synopsis
Byron was a superb letter-writer: almost all his letters, whatever the subject or whoever the recipient, are enlivened by his wit, his irony, his honesty, and the sharpness of his observation ofpeople. They provide a vivid self-portrait of the man who, of all his contemporaries, seems to express attitudes and feelings most in tune with the twentieth century. In addition, they offer a mirror of his own time. This firstcollected edition of all Byron's known letters supersedes Prothero's incomplete edition at the turn of the century. It includes a considerable number of hitherto unpublished letters and the complete text of many that were bowdlerized byformer editors for a variety of reasons. Prothero's edition included 1,198 letters. This edition has more than 3,000, over 80 percent of them transcribed entirely from the original manuscripts.
In thefifth installment of this marvelous serial story, we read about Byron's separation from his wife. Besides his pleading letters to Annabella asking her to reconsider, there are level-headed letters to Murray and Hobhouse and Hunt andRogers--all written during the tempestuous time before his final departure from England. The accounts written during the ensuing summer--of Waterloo and the Rhine and Switzerland--reveal new depths of Byron's maturing mind.
But the very best letters here are the ones from Italy; freed from the inhibitions of English society, Byron's spirit seems to expand and his letters reflect the joie devivrethat, despite his melancholy, was an inherent part of his character.
Synopsis
This volume, containing the letters written during the first year and a half of Byron's self-exile, reveal an increasing maturity and honesty that give them a new flavour. The very best letters are the ones from Italy, particularly those to Hobhouse, Kinnaird, Murray, and Moore. Freed from the inhibitions of English society, Byron's spirit seemed to expand and his letters to reflect the joie de vivre that, despite his melancholy, was an inherent part of his character.
Synopsis
In the fifth installment of this marvelous serial story, we read about Byron's separation from his wife. Besides his pleading letters to Annabella asking her to reconsider, there are level-headed letters to Murray and Hobhouse and Hunt and Rogers--all written during the tempestuous time before his final departure from England. The very best letters here are the ones from Italy; freed from the inhibitions of English society, Byron's spirit seems to expand and his letters reflect the joie de vivre that, despite his melancholy, was an inherent part of his character.
About the Author
The late Leslie A. Marchand was Professor of English, Emeritus, Rutgers University. For his lifelong work on Byron, he was given the National Book Critics Circle's Ivan Sandrof Award.
Table of Contents
- Editorial Note
- Byron Chronology
- Text of the Letters (January 1, 1816–December 31, 1817)
- Journal (September 17, 1816–September 29, 1816)
- Appendix
- I. List of Letters and Sources
- II. List of Forgeries of Byron’s Letters
- III. Bibliography for Volume V
- IV. Biographical Sketches for Volume V
- Index of Proper Names