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Byron (Critical Lives)

David Ellis

$22.00 $19.00

Publication Date: March 28th, 2023

Publisher:

Reaktion Books

ISBN:

9781789146820

Pages:

192

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Description

A fresh, concise account of the Romantic poet Lord Byron’s flamboyant life and work.

In this book, David Ellis traces Lord Byron’s life from rented lodgings in Aberdeen and the crumbling splendors of Newstead Abbey to his final grand tour of Asia. Describing his exile from England as well as his subsequent travels in Italy and Greece, Ellis shows just how completely Byron’s experiences colored both his serious and comic writings, such as Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage and The Corsair. This is a fresh, concise, and clear-eyed account of the flamboyant poet’s life and work.

About the Author

David Ellis is emeritus professor of English at the University of Kent. His books include Byron in Geneva: That Summer of 1816, Perfidious Albion: The Story of Stendhaland British Culture, and The Comic in Shakespeare.

Praise for Byron (Critical Lives)

“A brisk, insightful literary biography.”
— Kirkus Reviews

"A spirited biography . . . [and] solid introduction to a captivating literary figure."
— Publishers Weekly

“David Ellis provides a concise and distinct review of Byron’s life and works . . . Detailing Byron’s complex life is certainly no straightforward task, yet Ellis approaches the subject with expertise, utilizing a variety of well-placed sources, understanding and good humor to create a vivid and unbiased portrayal of one of history’s most celebrated poets.”
— The Pilgrim

"Intelligent and fair-minded."
— Times Literary Supplement

"Ellis has written a witty, lucid, and richly informative book that demonstrates what a great comic writer Lord Byron was; it’s brief, but every page punches above its weight."
— John Worthen, biographer and professor of English, University of Nottingham

“A lively and reliable picture of Byron’s life and works. Ellis delivers an evenhanded account of the poet’s adventures abroad and of the many dramas in his life—personal, financial, literary, and political.”
— Christopher W. Thompson, emeritus professor of French, University of Warwick