Byron: A Life in Ten Letters

by Andrew M. Stauffer

Lord Byron was the most celebrated of all the Romantic poets. Troubled, handsome, sexually fluid, disabled, and transgressive, he wrote his way to international fame – and scandal – before finding a kind of redemption in the Greek Revolution. He also left behind the vast trove of thrilling letters (to friends, relatives, lovers, and more) that form the core of this remarkable biography. Published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Byron's death, and adopting a fresh approach, it explores his life and work through some of his best, most resonant correspondence. Each chapter opens with Byron's own voice – as if we have opened a letter from the poet himself – followed by a vivid account of the emotions and experiences that missive touches. This gripping life traces the meteoric trajectory of a poet whose brilliance shook the world and whose legacy continues to shape art and culture to this day.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Poetry, History, Biography Memoir, Memoir, Regency

412 pages, Hardcover

Published February 22, 2024

Reviews

[Wilhelm Marz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Byron's autobiography was destroyed. In the exposition and analysis of the book, "Byron: A Life in Ten Letters", Andrew Stauffer has given us the next best thing. Through meticulous analysis and eminently readable prose Stauffer helps us unravel the mystery of who was Byron. Byron was a sensation, and with his legendary status and his faults published so wide, it's hard to get a clear picture of who he was and why he was such a sensation. This book however gives us a journey to that understanding. We feel the living Byron as he understood himself and his times.

[Philip Horspool · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really knew next to nothing about the life of Byron or his poetry. This exceptional book based around 10 of his letters put that to rights. It takes us back to a time when the rich and powerful were able to swan around intervening in politics, fathering children out of wedlock and generally doing as they pleased. And then feeling sorry for oneself. Like Boris Johnson I hear you say! Well in a way but Byron probably pips him on talent, looks and even honesty. Still I have a feeling that on being obnoxious, selfish and self-centred it'd be a close run thing. However, you can't help having a soft spot for Byron, something I'll never be accused of in reference to Johnson. I love the way this book is structured, the poetry is fab and the story engaging. In some ways Byron was probably a precursor of rock stars scandalizing an adoring public. Kanye springs to mind.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

In interested look into Byron's life. This collection creates a snap shot of Lord Byron's life. It really gives you a glimpse of him an a person rather that his larger than life persona.

I would recommend it to any history lover looking for a new perspective on Lord Byron's life.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If thou regret thy youth—why live?” Thus can Lord Byron’s life be summed up by his own pen. This book has many themes including how to live one’s life (or not), and how a short-lived life of pleasure may not ultimately satisfy the soul’s longings for connection or bring the happiness that comes from giving of oneself to others. I read this biographical sketch concurrently with one on Teddy Roosevelt and contrasted Byron’s wayward lifestyle with that of Roosevelt who was born some 60 years later and who modeled more admirable values. Though Byron’s legacy of poetry is undeniably great, his was not the life well-lived, which can weigh on the reader of this book.

[Scott Ransom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It isn't the kind of book that I would normally read, but the author is a friend of mine, and I like new and different things, so I decided to give it a go! The way that it was told, by peering into Byron's life at 10 different points, each one illuminated by a letter, really helps break things up and show how his life changed over the years. And the letters give us insight into Byron with his own words, along with many snippets of the poetry that he was writing at the time. Stauffer's writing style is fun, witty, modern (including with some recent vocabulary like "frenemy"), and the writing itself beautifully connects and weaves together Byron's poetry, letters, relationships, loves, and woes - and he had many of each! A fascinating book about a fascinating man.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Byron, you naughty boy!

[Andrin Albrecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most entertaining academic books I’ve ever read, though, in all fairness, most of the “academic” part here denotes the impressive amount of archival research that must have gone into piecing together the story this book tells, and the entertainment derives primarily from the facts of Lord Byron’s actual life. You couldn’t have written a dull version of that if you tried. Here’s a man of dazzling talent, wit, and the kind of sexual appetite that’s titillating from a distance but should land someone in prison if looked at up close, who wrote bestselling epics, scathing parodies, gossipy letters, gorgeous lines on love and heartache (and cannibalism) and growing old, who was born with all but a cloven hoof and enough inherited wealth to gallivant around Europe in a carriage modeled after that of Napoleon Bonaparte. Here’s the secondary cast: A beatific poet, atheist, abolitionist, vegetarian, and free love advocate nicknamed “the Snake” by his frenemy Biden. That poet’s wife, one of the most significant novelists in the western canon, who kept his silk-wrapped heart among her belongings after her husband—a passionate sailor who couldn’t swim—died in a storm. An Italian nobleman famous for having political rivals assassinated, a matriarch of London high society who spurs on all sorts of extramarital affairs though her letters, a frat-boy best friend, a whole string of male and female lovers, a couple of dogs and even more horses, peacocks cranes … A revolutionary war. Bacchanalian orgies in a ruined abbey during which wine is drunk from a monk’s skull. Poetry. Jealousy. How on earth has no one turned this into a Netflix series yet?
As the title indicates, each chapter of “Byron: A Life in 10 Letters” begins with a transcript of one of the thousands of letters Byron wrote during his lifetime, after which Stauffer—both erudite and an obvious admirer—provides context about the stage in Byron’s life during which the letters was written. This does an admirable job of making people 200 years dead feel intimately familiar, and it results in an honest-to-god page turner. At the same time, the book rarely goes beyond narrating Byron’s chronological biography, and there are instances where it comes perilously close to hero worship, in a manner that reminded me of some 1970s rock star biographies I’ve read. Yes, Byron’s life was riveting, gorgeously bizarre, and yes, his poetry is a triumph even two centuries later, but he was at the same time a deeply traumatized young man who too easily came into too much money and—be it in consequence or inevitably—turned into an elitist jerk, absentee father, a hedonist, domestic abuser and, in all likelihood, a serial rapist. Anyone disconcerted about the recent scandals embroiling people like Rammstein singer Till Lindemann shouldn’t touch Byron with a 10-foot pole. Stauffer’s book hints at these darker sides but tends to move on to them all too quickly, so that what remains in the end is a thrilling, detail-rich biography that revels in the splendor and absurdity but ultimately adds yet another golden coating to the monument of a man who, that much is sure, does not need any more gold.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a geeky high for me, though I realize the subject matter (and epistolary style) is too niche to make it far in the BookTube Prize. I’m glad it made it to the quarterfinals especially since I have a pattern to follow! I’ve read every BTP book on Romantic poets, I think, or at least the three where the latest subject is always the antagonist of the last book.

I may have broken the cycle at last, unless another Byron book comes out in the next couple of years. (This one was timed to come out on the bicentennial of his death!) He seems like he was his own worst enemy.

Maybe that’s a bit simplistic, but the guy certainly knew how to get himself into trouble. :P He was, as one of his many (married) lovers put it, “mad, bad and dangerous to know.” A James Dean, perhaps, of the 18th century (er, not sure why a contemporary comp didn’t pop to mind. But moving on!)

I liked the “miniaturist” analyzing-letters style Stauffer employed. Jenny McCauley in the Irish Times calls them “lively, accessible commentaries” that “communicate…enthusiasm for his subject while maintaining a judicious critical distance” I also liked listening to them on audio, especially where Paul Bellantoni spoke with a British accent for the letters themselves and an American accent for the commentary. :P

The letters cover a large swath of Byron’s short life—featuring love affairs, foreign adventuring and poetry writing. Lord Byron is forever tied with the brooding Byronic figure in literature, but in life he could be more gregarious as well. (Perhaps similarly, there have been several “Lord Byrons” in the House of Lords, but let’s face it, most of us will ever only think of the sixth one. :P)

Among his paramours and others, Caroline Lamb from above stood out for her, er, spirit. Then there’s his half-sister, Arabella Leigh, who from this vantage appeared more grounded about their, er, business than he did. Byron was busy using Augusta as a way to sabotage his marriage to Annabella Millbanke. There’s hints of Byron’s homosexual affairs, particularly with his school chum John Edleston, which Byron couldn’t be as public about as his heterosexuals affairs, taboo as they were. So we’ll never know the whole truth. We also get to see a little bit of his history with his illegitimate daughter, Allegra, the child with whom he shared the most connection, despite spurning her mother even as they were sleeping together. Oy. (Something I learned was that he himself was sexually abused as a child. Not to use as an excuse, but maybe some answers for his actions.)

We also see a more platonic relationship with Percy Shelley, and I was a little surprised how much Percy’s wife, Mary Shelley, who wrote the famous FRANKENSTEIN while vacationing with Byron, made it into this book! Meanwhile, Byron was gaining popularity and derision for his poetry (William Wordsworth claimed his DON JUAN “will do more harm to the English character, than anything of our time.”)

Speaking of eras, that’s something I was ruminating on more than Byron’s poetry itself. We’re all influenced by the events of our time. Lord Byron, when not generating a more personal soap opera around himself, was taken with Napoleon, burgeoning nationalism, and particularly the Greek fight for independence. This spoke to his countercultural nature, and how much his fame with others was tied in with his money (which he seemed to have some access to even while in debt.) Also of his time: the horrible medical malpractice that defined his death at 36. His Romantic life was more traditional: an early demise.

So yeah, I get why this book won’t be advancing in the BookTube Prize. Maybe it’s not all that broad or relevant to our concerns today. Byron is also a “flawed” character, to say the least. But if you can look past that, his life and especially how it is presented here, can be informative and entertaining.

[Jacqueline Nyathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Byron wasn’t my bestie in high school; Shelley was. (Still a fan, all of these years later.) But I remembered just enough to be quite curious about his life; all of the feels of high school English class and the prospect of reliving some of it are what made me request this DRC. All of which to say, I came to it not as most other readers will: I barely remember Byron’s work, never studied him, and really didn’t know much about his life except for the barest glimmerings.

Well! Arriving halfway through the book, I put it down because I was so exasperated with what an entitled predator Byron was. I read other things. Happily, when I picked it up again, he was writing Lady Byron to beg her to come back; and who doesn’t love to see a woman crush her abuser by refusing to return? Things got so much better from there, because I no longer had to wonder why English culture reveres him; it was settled in my mind that Byron was a complicated human, as we all are, and clearly had some undiagnosed stuff… And from there I could treat him like some regular old dead artist with a fascinating biography.

Because Byron was nothing if not interesting; his weird childhood and very weird mother; his life as a rather poor and then later apparently really rich Lord; his escapades at school and at college (which he could drop out of and still graduate, because of course he could); his misadventures in Society, and then becoming a pariah (good!) and exile; the endless travel—Greece, Italy, Greece again (I rather wish he’d made it to South America); his friendships and yes, his doomed marriage, and—ugh—yes, all of the sexual things. A truly fascinating character who lived an incredible life.

So. I do understand the reverence. Lord Byron gave us the most romantic (and actually completely dysfunctional) Byronic figure of literature. He was also, by all accounts, a fairly nasty and narcissistic human being (particularly early on in his life)—while also managing, in the end, to do a lot of good in the world. Stauffer’s excellent book excavates his life and character through ten letters he wrote, by relating and explaining Byron’s circumstances at the time of writing, and trying to guess at his thoughts and motivations. It’s a very well done character study, the evidence of what must be very long hours of work in archives and a resulting intimate knowledge of Byron’s life. And because Byron was so interesting, Stauffer’s book cannot help but be the same. (Even if it’s still entirely possible that what sealed the deal for me was all of the notes on and goss about Byron, Shelley and Mary together.)

A fascinating read, and well worth the many hours I spent on it. Highly recommended, even if you are only a marginal Byron fan. Many thanks to Cambridge University Press and to NetGalley for access to an early digital review copy.

[Eyejaybee · Rating 4 out of 5]

George, Lord Byron, is a classic example of the paradox in which a generally ghastly person can produce sublime art or literature – somewhat in the mode of Salvador Dali. This month marks the bicentenary of Lord Byron’s death, which was presumably behind the publication of this fascinating biography (which fortunately makes no attempt at hagiography, which would presumably be beyond even the literary skills of the subject himself).

I have to confess woeful ignorance of both the life and the works of Lord Byron, so I was rather surprised at just how outré his life was, encompassing rampant affairs with both sexes and a long-term incestuous relationship with his half-sister, with the constant accrual of staggering debts running on in the background. I had, of course, been aware of his Bohemian lifestyle, although not perhaps the extent of his licentiousness. Until reading this biography, I had not read much of his verse, although I have delighted in various cantos from Don Juan and Child Harold’s Pilgrimage by way of background reading while engaged with this book.

I was intrigued by Andrew Stauffer’s approach. Framing the biography through the device of ten letters works well, although it also flagged to me how poor a writer of prose Byron was. These letters do not speak in their style of a literary behemoth, but of a selfish, self-obsessed solipsist. Of course, the two things are not mutually exclusive, but no one would remember Byron for the scrawled offerings here, yet he seemed capable of dashing off a dazzling ode or a verse essay at the drop of a hat.

He was famously described by Lady Caroline Lamb, one of his more prominent long-term lovers, as ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’, and these letters suggest that he revelled in that reputation, and seemed eager always to push it even further.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fascinating, surprising, and honestly… nauseating. I had recently read Don Juan for the first time, hoping to fill some gaps in my knowledge (what with it being the 200th anniversary of Byron’s death). After that I figured I’d go all in on the man himself—the basis of Byronic antiheroes, alluring vampires, celebrity culture, gorgeously doomed-and-damned bad boys with dark secrets (“maybe my love will save him”!), essentially my favorite characters from Heathcliff / Rochester types to Buffy’s boyfriends, Doctor House (complete with limp…). You know the type!

But “knowing the type” in pop culture and meeting the real-life inspiration for said type are two very different things. Byron the actual dude is pitiable and sympathetic—particularly as an abused child, obviously— but also an absolute d*ick to literally everyone unlucky enough to become entangled with him, especially women of every age, class, country, or background. Especially his illegitimate daughter Allegra. No seriously he’s a HORROR. Like I actually truly felt ill reading about him.

THAT SAID, the author did an incredible job sifting through apparently, 3,000+ letters to find these ten to encapsulate the contradictory, irascible, mischievous, sullen, clever, incredibly scandalous man who did literally set the tone for so much of our gothic, Romantic, celebrity obsessed modern age. It's staggering how many elements of taken-for-granted character types and tropes originated with this one real-life person when you dig down into it.

[Laura McNeal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every biography I read makes me more certain that biography is a muddy genre. We simply aren't capable of seeing the past without looking for what we (not they) care the most about, and how we (not they) would talk about it. I am thus increasingly fond of books that mix what the author wrote with a reflection or gloss on that text. We still end up seeing what our generation thinks is most alarming or modern or poignant or outrageous (in the case of this book, every single kind of sex that Byron had, how often, where, and with whom), but at least we get to hear whole poems and/or letters, and the organizing principle is not just "and then, and then, and then" but the works that made the writer interesting in the first place. I was pretty familiar with Byron and his circle already, and yet I learned many new things about him, and I really liked being able to read his letters in their entirety. Stauffer's knowledge is encyclopedic, and the book, besides being entertaining, makes an excellent reference book for the period. Bonus: tons of color plates showing good (and bad) likenesses of all the mistresses.

[Harriet Lindblom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a marvelous biography of Lord Byron (George Gordon) , presented through his letters, and compellingly augmented by Andrew Stauffer!s meticulous telling of Byron’s life story. In my view, no one has better captured the mercurial spirit of this man. Mary Shelley said it best: “The Lord Byron I find there is our Lord Byron - the fascinating - faulty - childish - philosophical being - daring the world - docile to a private circle - impetuous and indolent - gloomy and yet more gay than any other - I lived with him again in these pages.
It took me so long to read this because I interspersed some of his poetry in between. ( Including almost all of Childe Harold)

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing about Lord Byron has been popular for the last 200 years. A wildly popular writer in his lifetime as well as one of the first “celebrity artists” in history, Byron’s life has been as popular as his works. This latest account uses ten letters that Byron wrote to provide a shortened account of the poet’s life. Numerous times while reading this, I exclaimed “What a piece of work this guy was!” If he were alive today, surely someone would put him on medication, because he comes across as wildly unstable and possibly bipolar. An enjoyable and entertaining read.

[Nathan Hejl · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Mad, bad, and dangerous to know.” I knew very little of Lord Byron’s life before reading this biography. Of the very many that are out there, I’m so glad this is the one I read. Being somewhat familiar with his literary works, I was shocked to find how interesting and full of scandal, exciting, and shocking his life was!

Extremely well written and makes you feel as if you could possibly know this amazing legend. What a shame to learn that is personal memoirs were burned- you know those had to have been super juicy! Makes me wonder what all secrets and scandals he recorded!

[Robert B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stauffer uses ten of Byron's letter to outline the great poet's life. What comes across is an often bipolar, lascivious rake who just happened to write beautiful poetry. The technique works well as Stauffer provides the context in which Byron wrote the letter at the beginning of the chapter. More might have been said about the poetry itself beyond merely providing the context in which the poems were written, but all in all, this is a very good introduction to Byron's life, warts and all.

[Jordan Conlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no tea like the tea spilled between Victorian romantic poets. Byron is so fascinating and I wish his friends didn’t burn his memoir— imagine the lore we would have!! The bear-on-a-leash thing doesn’t even scratch the surface. I found that the author’s reverence for Byron did obstruct the clarity of his full character, though.

[Shane Zhang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sentences went really smoothly and pages turned fast. I would have been interested in more dates/world historical context but that probably would have slowed it down… Did not like the almost glossy paper it was printed on.

NO COMMENT on Byron the man!

[Scott Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent way to delve into Byron's complex personality through vignettes from his short and tempestuous life. Loved it and will re-read it in Chapters. I particularly loved learning more about his time in Geneva during the terrible summer of 1816.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb introduction to Byron's life, well written, the choice of letters well judged. I very much enjoyed this.

[Lukas Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mad, bad, and dangerous to know.

[Renee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. All I can say.

[Candy Greenway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read by a wonderful author for the 200th anniversary of Byron’s death.

[Peter]

Oh, Stauffer's thing is straight-forward to read through.

[Linda Howe Steiger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stauffer is a notable Byron critic and this idea for organizing B's biography works well, making a read that is not too long. (Better than one of those exhaustive--800 page--critical biographies.) Each chapter is prefaced with a real letter written by Bryon. Stauffer then fills in the context both historical and personal. Thus the poet's short life is captured at 10 major high points. Sufficient, informative, and enjoyable. I learned some stuff I didn’t know, both about this poet’s life and his poetry and about that period of history (early Nineteenth Century). Lord Byron, in case you didn't know, is a charming but thoroughly disreputable character. All Wordsworth had to say about him is: "the man is mad." Well, perhaps he was. Produced some fine poetry, as well some major crap. Don't we all?

Here's what Mary Shelley had to say: "The Lord Byron I find there [i.e. in his letters] is our Lord Byron—the fascinating—faulty—childish—philosophical being—daring the world—docile to a private circle—impetuous and indolent—gloomy and yet more gay than any other."

If you'd like some biography of the man, I recommend reading this.