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George Gordon Byron was born in 1788, the son of the profligate 'Mad Jack' Byron, and succeeded to the title in 1798 moving to the family seat of Newstead Abbey. He attended Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he proved to be a poor scholar, preferring boxing, the low life and poetry, publishing his first volume of poems in 1806. In 1809, at 21, he embarked on a grand tour of Europe and on his return to England he married the humourless Annabella Milbanke, who gave birth to his daughter Augusta in 1815.

The epitome of the romantic literary hero, Lord Byron was as well known in his time for the revolutionary panache with which he lived as for his extremely popular verse. “As a myth,” wrote Bertrand Russell, “his importance, especially on the continent, was enormous.” His many tempestuous relationships were the subject of scandal which only added to his celebrity. His name has even entered into our language to describe a man of deep passion and defiance.

A selection illustrating the breathtaking variety of Byron’s poetry. Read by Linus Roache, star of the critically acclaimed film Wings of the Dove, this collection includes She Walks in Beauty, The Destruction of Sennacherib, The Vision of Judgment and selections from Childe Harold, The...

Lord Byron's satirical take on the legend of Don Juan is a moving and witty poem that sees the young hero in a reversal of roles. Juan sheds his image as a womanizer and instead becomes the victim of circumstance as he is relentlessly pursued by every woman he meets. Comprising 17 cantos of rhyming iambic pentameter, the poem is a crisp and accessible meditation on the madness of the world.

Lord Byron’s very name conjures up visions of the Romantic movement and outlandishly dressed bohemians, for if Alfred, Lord Tennyson was the poetic darling of the masses, Byron was the hero of the hedonists. While the traditional English literary hero was a nobleman rescuing a damsel in distress, Byron created the antihero, a man plagued by self-doubt and hidden sorrow. At the same time, his hero was also capable of facing reality once he had wrestled through his own angst, and even of occasionally acting nobly in the great tradition of the author’s Puritan forebears.

The Oxford Handbook of Lord Byron offers the latest in critical thinking about the poet that defined the Romantic era across Europe and beyond. The volume presents forty-four groundbreaking essays that enable listeners to assess Lord Byron's central position in Romantic traditions and his profound and far-reaching influence on British, European, and world culture.

The restorative power of the ocean brings Jane Austen and her beloved brother Henry, to Brighton after Henry’s wife is lost to a long illness. But the crowded, glittering resort is far from peaceful, especially when the lifeless body of a beautiful young society miss is discovered in the...

Together with William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats, George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824) was one of the most iconic literary figures of the early Romantic movement. His verse covers a wide range of genres, including large scale narrative poems, sonnets, and satirical quips. Byron led a most adventurous life, which included many romantic affairs and he died fighting in the Greek War of Independence.

In this thrilling unabridged edition, multi-award-winning narrator Alison Larkin (Jane Eyre; The Complete Novels of Jane Austen) brings the full power of Wuthering Heights to new life, adding an Introduction and a comprehensive Student Guide (as told by Emily Brontë herself), which offer fresh insight into the author's life, influences, and creative intentions.

With a dynamic spirit, these great English poets made a conscious return to nostalgia and spiritual depth. Each chose a different path, but they are united in a love of moods, impressions, scenes, stories, sights and sounds. In this collection of more than forty poems are some of the finest and most memorable works in the English language.

Famed nineteenth-century poet and rake Lord Byron travels to Greece and becomes the world’s most formidable vampire—entering a dark, intoxicating world of ancient arts and scorching excesses of evil—in this offbeat book by the author of Slave of My Thirst. Traveling in the mountains of...

Today Byron is regarded as the ultimate romantic - a rebel, a Casanova, and a man of intense, brooding passion. He was the most famous literary man of his time, and his poetry, endlessly witty and often insightful, was immensely popular and hugely influential. From the delicate romanticism of "She Walks in Beauty" to the evocative reflections of "So We’ll Go No More a Roving", Byron’s poems were unrivaled in their power and potency.

Byron's exuberant masterpiece tells of the adventures of Don Juan, a handsome and charming young man naturally gifted with the ladies. After his first illicit love affair at the age of 16 in his native Spain, he is exiled to Italy. Following a dramatic shipwreck, his exploits take him to Greece, where he is sold as a slave, and to Russia, where he becomes a favorite of the Empress Catherine, who sends him on to England.

Experience the captivating world of Don Juan, a remarkable narrative poem by Lord Byron that loosely explores the legend of the notorious seducer, Don Juan. The first two of the eventual seventeen Cantos were released anonymously in July 1819, igniting a firestorm of scandal, admiration, and laughter. Often hailed as his crowning achievement, this self-proclaimed epic remained unfinished at Byrons death, yet it continues to resonate with modern critics and audiences alike. Join us as we delve into this literary masterpiece, brought to life by Peter Gallagher.

Count Lara returns home after a long absence abroad. He is accompanied by a single page, the faithful Kaled. In his youth, prior to his travels, Lara had led a dissolute life. On his return he is much changed - haughty, reserved, and world-weary. Nothing is known of his life in the interim. During an evening function given by the Count Otho, a local magnate, the host's cousin, Sir Ezzelin, angrily confronts Lara with accusations of unnamed crimes abroad. Otho intervenes and an appointment is made for the following day for the local nobles to hear and judge the accusations.

Childe Harolds Pilgrimage is a captivating narrative poem composed in four parts by the renowned Lord Byron, published between 1812 and 1818 and dedicated to the enigmatic Ianthe. This poem captures the journey and introspections of a young man, world-weary and disenchanted with a life filled with fleeting pleasures, as he seeks solace and distraction in distant lands. Through its verses, the poem poignantly reflects the melancholy and disillusionment experienced by a generation scarred by the turmoil of the post-Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras. The title Childe refers to a medieval ...

Dive into The Corsair (1814) by Lord Byron, a thrilling narrative that follows Conrad, a pirate torn between his past and a relentless quest for redemption. Rejected by society for his transgressions, Conrads journey leads him to attack the fortress of Pacha Seyd in a daring attempt to reclaim his stolen treasures and rescue women from the pasha’s harem. Captured during his mission, he finds an unlikely ally in Gulnare, the pashas slave, who hatches a bold plan for their escape. However, when their scheme falters, desperation drives her to a shocking act of violence. Together, they flee to ...

Childe Harolds Pilgrimage is a captivating narrative poem in four parts penned by the illustrious Lord Byron between 1812 and 1818. This poignant work chronicles the journey of a young man, Childe Harold, who, disenchanted with a life filled with excess and indulgence, seeks solace and meaning in distant lands. It reflects the deep-seated melancholy and disillusionment of a generation weary from the tumultuous aftermath of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. The title Childe is derived from a medieval term denoting a young man aspiring for knighthood. In Cantos I and II, we follow Harold as...

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Newstead Abbey was one of the most prosperous and fashionable aristocratic homes in England. It was the abode of William the 4th Baron Byron - a popular and successful composer and artist - and his teenage wife Frances. But only a few decades later, at...

In this evocative poem, Byron captures the heart-wrenching final stand of the Venetians as the Ottoman army launches its assault on Acrocorinth. The narrative unfolds through the eyes of Lanciotto, a Venetian renegade now fighting for the Ottomans, and Francesca, the enchanting daughter of the Venetian garrisons governor, Minotti. Having initially been spurned by Minotti when he sought Francescas hand, Lanciotto fled his homeland after being falsely accused through the notorious Lions Mouth at the Doges palace. Now under the Turkish banner, he has forsaken both his nationality and faith. Yet, ...