George Byron, whose photo and biography you will find in this article, is deservedly considered a great English poet. The years of his life - 1788-1824. With the era of romanticism, the work of George Byron is inextricably linked. Note that romanticism arose in the late 18th - early 19th centuries in Western Europe. This trend in art appeared as a result of the French Revolution and the enlightenment associated with it.
Byron Romanticism
People who tried to think progressively were unhappy with the outcome of the revolution. In addition, political reaction intensified. The romantics as a result of this were divided into two warring camps. Some called on society to return to patriarchal life, to the traditions of the Middle Ages, to abandon the solution of pressing problems. Others advocated the continuation of the French Revolution. They sought to bring to life the ideals of freedom, equality and fraternity. George Byron sided with them. The colonial policy pursued by the British government he sharply denounced. Byron opposed the adoption of anti-people laws and the suppression of freedoms. By this he caused great dissatisfaction with the authorities.
Life in a foreign land
In 1816, a hostile campaign began against the poet. He had to leave his native England forever. An exile in a foreign land actively participated in the struggle of the Greek rebels and Italian carbonaries for independence. It is known that A.S. Pushkin considered the genius of this rebel poet. The Englishman was very popular among the Decembrists. Belinsky, an outstanding Russian critic, also did not ignore him. He spoke of Byron as a poet who made a great contribution to world literature. Want to get to know him better? We offer you to read a detailed biography of Byron.
Origin of Byron
He was born in London on January 22, 1788. His origin was high both from the side of his father and from his mother. Both John Byron and Katherine Gordon came from the highest aristocracy. Nevertheless, the childhood of the future poet passed in extreme poverty.
The fact is that John Byron, a guard officer (pictured above), led a very wasteful life. The father of the future poet squandered in a short time two large fortunes that he got from the first wife and from the second, the boy’s mother. John had a daughter, Augustus, from his first marriage. She was raised by her grandmother, and only in 1804 did her friendship with her stepbrother begin.
Early childhood
Parents separated soon after George was born. Father went to France and died there. In the Scottish city of Eberdine passed the early childhood of the future poet. Here he studied at the Grammar School. At the end of the third grade, a message came from England that George's cousin had died. So Byron inherited the title of Lord, as well as Newstead Abbey, a family estate located in Nottingham County.
Both the castle and the estate were in disrepair. There were not enough funds to restore them. Therefore, George Byron's mother decided to rent Newstead Abbey. She herself and her son settled in Southwell, located nearby.
What overshadowed Byron’s childhood and youth?
Byron's childhood and youth were marred not only by a lack of funds. The fact is that George was lame from birth. Doctors came up with various devices in order to cope with lameness, but it did not pass. It is known that Byron's mother had an unbalanced character. She reproached her son in the heat of quarrels with this physical flaw, which caused deep suffering to the young man.
Training at Harrow
George in 1801 entered a closed school in Harrow. It was intended for children of noble birth. Future diplomats and politicians were trained here. Robert Peel, who later became Minister of the Interior, and later Prime Minister of England, studied in the same class with such a great poet as George Gordon Byron. The biography of our hero continues with events in his personal life.
First love
At the age of 15, in 1803, Byron fell in love with Mary Chavort. This happened during the holidays. The girl was 2 years older than George. Together they spent a lot of time. However, this friendship was not destined to end in a wedding. Love for Mary for many years tormented the romantic soul of such a poet as Byron George Gordon. A brief biography goes on to describe George's student years.
Student years
The young man in 1805 became a student at Cambridge University. The period of study in it was a time of leprosy, pleasure and fun. In addition, George was fond of sports. He was engaged in boxing, swimming, fencing, horse riding. Subsequently, he became one of the best swimmers in England, George Byron. Interesting facts about him, right? At the same time, he became interested in reading. Soon, many began to notice that Byron had a phenomenal memory. He was able to memorize text in whole pages.
The first collections of poems
The young man published the first collection of poems, while still a student, in 1806. He called his book Flying Sketches. A year later, the second collection, “Poems for Various Occasions,” and the third, “Hours of Leisure,” appeared.
The British Bards, George Byron
A brief biography introduces readers to the difficulties that the poet had to face throughout his life. In particular, an anonymous review appeared in the journal Edinburgh Review in 1808. In it, the unknown mercilessly ridiculed Byron's works. He wrote that he did not speak the language of fiction and advised him to learn poetry, and not publish clumsy verses. George Byron, in response to this, published the poem "British Bards" in 1809. The success of the work was tremendous. The poem has withstood four editions.
Two-year journey made by George Byron
His brief biography is marked by a two-year journey, which Byron went to at the end of 1809. At that time he finished his poem entitled "In the Footsteps of Horace", and also created poetic travel notes. The journey greatly influenced the development of Byron's creativity and poetic gift. His journey began with Portugal, after which George visited the island of Malta, Spain, Albania, Greece, Constantinople. In the summer of 1811, Byron returned to England. Here he found out that his mother was seriously ill. However, George did not manage to catch her alive.
Childe Harold Pilgrimage
George retired to Newstead and set to work on his new poem, which he called The Pilgrimage of Childe Harold. However, when the work was finished, the editor Murray put forward a demand to exclude from the poem stanzas that are political in nature. George Byron, whose biography testifies to his love of freedom, refused to redo the work.
In the image of Childe-Harold, Byron embodied the features of a new hero who is in an irreconcilable conflict with morality and society. The relevance of this image ensured the success of the poem. It has been translated into almost all languages of the world. Soon, the name Childe-Harold became a household name. By it is meant a man who is disappointed in everything and who protests against a reality hostile to him.
Activities in the House of Lords
He decided to defend his position not only in poetry. George Byron soon took a seat in the House of Lords, which was inherited by the poet. In England at that time, the Luddite movement became very popular, consisting in the protest of weavers against weaving machines that appeared. The fact is that the automation of labor has left many of them without work. And for those who managed to get it, wages decreased significantly. People saw the root of evil in looms and began to destroy them.
The government decided to enact a law according to which those who destroyed cars should be sentenced to death. Byron made a speech in Parliament, protesting against such an inhuman bill. George stated that the state was called upon to protect the interests of citizens, not several monopolists. However, despite his protests, the law was passed in February 1812.
After that, terror began against the weavers, who were sentenced to death, exiled, imprisoned. Byron did not stand aloof from these events and published his angry ode, in which the authors of the law were denounced. What did George Byron write back in those years? A series of romantic poems came out of his pen. Let us briefly talk about them.
"Oriental poems"
George Byron from 1813 created a series of romantic poems. In 1813, appeared "Gyaur" and "Abydos bride", in 1814 - "Lara" and "Corsair", in 1816 - "The Siege of Corinth". In the literature they are called "Oriental poems."
Unsuccessful marriage
The English poet George Byron in January 1815 married Annabelle Milbank. This girl came from an aristocratic patriarchal family. Byron’s wife opposed his social activities, which were clearly contrary to the government’s policy. In the family, as a result of this, disagreements arose.
The couple had a daughter in December 1815, who was named Ada Augusta. And in January 1816, the wife left Byron without explanation. Her parents immediately initiated the divorce proceedings. Byron at this time created several works dedicated to Napoleon, in which he expressed the opinion that, waging war against Bonaparte, England brought a lot of grief to its people.
Byron leaves England
Divorce, as well as "wrong" political views led to the fact that the poet began persecution. Newspapers inflated the scandal to such an extent that Byron couldn't even just go outside. He left his homeland on April 26, 1816 and no longer returned to England. The last poem written in the native land was "The Stanzas to Augustus", dedicated to Byron's half-sister , who had been a support for him all this time and supported creative spirit in George.
Swiss period
At first Byron intended to live in France, and then in Italy. However, the French authorities forbade him to stop in the cities, allowing only to travel around the country. Therefore, George went to Switzerland. He settled at Lake Geneva in the Villa Diodati. In Switzerland, he met and made friends with Shelley. The period of residence in this country is from May to October 1816. At this time, the poems Darkness, Dream, and Prisoner of Chillon were created. In addition, Byron began writing another poem, Manfred, and also created the third song of Childe Harold. After that, he went to Venice.
Acquaintance with Gvichchioli, participation in the movement of carbonaria
Here there was an acquaintance with the Countess Gvichchioli, in which Byron fell in love. The woman was married, but she reciprocated the poet. Nevertheless, the countess soon left for Ravenna with her husband.
The poet decided to move after his lover to Ravenna. This happened in 1819. Here he actively participated in the movement of carbonarians, who in 1821 began preparations for the uprising. However, it did not start, as some members of the organization turned out to be traitors.
Moving to Pisa
In 1821, George Gordon moved to Pisa. Here he lived with the Countess Gvichchioli, by then already divorced. Shelley also lived in this city, but in the autumn of 1822 he drowned. From 1821 to 1823 Byron created the following works: "Marino Falliero", "Sardanapalus", "Two Foscari", "Heaven and Earth", "Cain", "Werner". In addition, he began his drama entitled "Transformed Freak," which remained incomplete.
Byron created the famous "Don Giovanni" from 1818 to 1823. This great creation, however, also remained incomplete. George interrupted his work in order to participate in the struggle for the independence of the Greek people.
Participation in the struggle for the independence of the Greek people
Byron in the autumn of 1822 moved to Genoa, after which he left for the Missolongs (in December 1823). However, in Greece, as well as among the Italian carbonaries, there was a lack of unity among the rebels. Byron spent a lot of effort trying to rally the rebels. George spent a lot of organizational work trying to create a unified rebel army. The life of the poet was very intense at that time. In addition, he caught a cold. On the day of his 36th birthday, Byron wrote a poem called "Today I am 36 years old."
Byron's death
He was very worried about the illness of Ada, his daughter. Soon, however, Byron received a letter informing her that she had recovered. George joyfully mounted his horse and went for a walk. However, a heavy downpour began, which became fatal for the cold poet. George Byron's life ended on April 19, 1824.
Byron had a great influence on world literature of the 19th century. There was even a whole direction, known as “Byronism,” which was reflected in the works of Lermontov and Pushkin. As for Western Europe, the influence of this poet was felt by Heinrich Heine, Victor Hugo, Adam Mickiewicz. In addition, Byron's poems formed the basis of musical works by Robert Schumann, Hector Berlioz and Peter Tchaikovsky. To this day, the influence of such a poet as George Byron is felt in literature. His biography and work are of interest to many researchers.