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Μπάιρον: Τα χειρόγραφα του Μεσολογγίου
Πνεύμα μυστήριο, δαίμονας ή άγγελος, όπως τον χαρακτήρισε σε ποίημά του ο Λαμαρτίνος, λάτρης και λατρεμένος γυναικών αλλά και αντρών, εραστής παράφορος αλλά και μέχρι κυνισμού ωμός, αγγελόμορφος αλλά και δύσμορφος, θαυμαστής του ελληνικού πνεύματος αλλά και αμφιλεγόμενος φιλέλληνας, θιασώτης του εξωτισμού αλλά και μόνιμος νοσταλγός της γηραιάς Αλβιώνος, ο Τζωρτζ Γκόρντον Μπάυρον αναπολεί τη ζωή του, πνιγμένος μέσα στην υγρασία του Μεσολογγίου, κουρασμένος από το κυνήγι των προσωπικών του φαντασμάτων, γέρος στα τριάντα έξι του χρόνια.
- GenresBiography
303 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1968
2 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Frederic Prokosch
46 books12 followersFrederic Prokosch's novels The Asiatics and The Seven Who Fled received widespread attention in the 1930s.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 20, 2024
"Lord Byron spent the last months of his life in the village of Missolonghi in Greece, where he died, at the age of thirty-sex, in 1824. The three notebooks that are presented in this novel...purport to be the memoirs of a dying man...review(ing) his whole life...A reconstruction so challenging could only be undertaken by a writer with a lifetime's familiarity with his subject, at the maturity of his powers as a novelist."
From the inside title page of the 1968 hardback edition from W.H.Allen provided as the only synopsis on Goodreads (as of April 2023) is not in English.
I remember this novel having seen it many times in libraries and second hand shops in the 1970's and 80's - I didn't remember that it was written by Prokosch who I knew nothing about at that time, though I did acquire one of his novels either 'The Asiastics' or 'Seven Who Fled' in the 1980's but never read it and like all the books of my youth it was lost, sold or given away. Although at the time I was very curious about Prokosch it was a curiosity that I was unable to satisfy - how difficult it is to remember let alone explain how in pre-internet days without Google and Wikipedia it was almost impossible to find never mind access the sort of information we take for granted today. Of course there were newspaper archives and reference books but they weren't in ordinary libraries accessible to a school boy. It was only much, much later when reading some of Gore Vidal's literary criticism that I learnt anything about Prokosch and, although there are many aspects of Gore Vidal's writings that I find dubious his literary criticism, particularly that from the 1960's I have always trusted. He had a very high regard for Prokosch and it was that high regard that led me to search out, buy and finally read this novel. I am very glad I did and I will certainly track down more of Mr. Prokosch's works in the very near future.
The novel is a recreation of 'diaries' or 'notebooks' kept by Byron in his last months in Missolonghi during his ill fated venture to aid the Greek rebellion against the Ottoman empire. Aside from immediate concerns and events Byron also writes about various romantic and sexual escapades from his past and his relationship with his wife, sister, daughters and poets like Shelley and Keats as well as others. I think it is a wonderful imaginative work on the life and last years/months of Bryon's life. It is wonderfully frank, as I imagined the Georgian's were (at least one reviewer on Goodreads finds it obscene in parts), and open about describing Byron's interest in boys (let me be clear that this teenaged/young men) as well as women, though I must be clear that in no way is Prokosch portraying Byron as 'gay', queer or homosexual and he sees Byron as indiscriminately sexual and all Prokosch does is make clear, which is quite interesting for a novel published in 1968, and is quite plain and open in language and details that Byron's insatiable sexuality also included his own sex. He certainly places Byron's interest in his own sex on the same level as his interest in women, it is a pity that Louis Crompton's 'Byron and Greek Love' was not available when Prokosch wrote this, if it was he probably would have made this aspect of Byron's life more specific. Interestingly neither the ancient Greeks nor Englishmen in the earlier Georgian years would have found anything odd in a a man who was sexual voracious for women being sexual voracious for men, they would have taken it for granted.
I have read all or part of half a dozen Byron biographies published in the last twenty years and it is amazing how Byron's queer (for want of a better word) life is still consistently played down, dismissed and ignored. Of course the same goes for every film or tv programme produced in the same period about the poet. It is really rather pleasing to see a novelist in 1968 treating this aspect of his life so openly and casually. But above all I found this novel to be a splendid work of the imagination that brought to life, honestly, but sympathetically, a man who although renowned as a great poet is probably never read today for pleasure. But then who reads poetry the way it was read in Byron's day and maybe until the first world war? I wish I did, but I don't, it is a habit I have never learnt, though at various times I have read with pleasure excerpts from Byron's great epics I know I will probably never read them in full.
Still this novel about Byron is probably a better thing to read than a biography, it delves deeper into the man's life, thoughts, actions and failures and not only tells why he was great, though flawed, but why he is still worth remembering and reading. I was pleased by how good this novel is and it has done more then anything to bring Byron and his times alive for me.
From the inside title page of the 1968 hardback edition from W.H.Allen provided as the only synopsis on Goodreads (as of April 2023) is not in English.
I remember this novel having seen it many times in libraries and second hand shops in the 1970's and 80's - I didn't remember that it was written by Prokosch who I knew nothing about at that time, though I did acquire one of his novels either 'The Asiastics' or 'Seven Who Fled' in the 1980's but never read it and like all the books of my youth it was lost, sold or given away. Although at the time I was very curious about Prokosch it was a curiosity that I was unable to satisfy - how difficult it is to remember let alone explain how in pre-internet days without Google and Wikipedia it was almost impossible to find never mind access the sort of information we take for granted today. Of course there were newspaper archives and reference books but they weren't in ordinary libraries accessible to a school boy. It was only much, much later when reading some of Gore Vidal's literary criticism that I learnt anything about Prokosch and, although there are many aspects of Gore Vidal's writings that I find dubious his literary criticism, particularly that from the 1960's I have always trusted. He had a very high regard for Prokosch and it was that high regard that led me to search out, buy and finally read this novel. I am very glad I did and I will certainly track down more of Mr. Prokosch's works in the very near future.
The novel is a recreation of 'diaries' or 'notebooks' kept by Byron in his last months in Missolonghi during his ill fated venture to aid the Greek rebellion against the Ottoman empire. Aside from immediate concerns and events Byron also writes about various romantic and sexual escapades from his past and his relationship with his wife, sister, daughters and poets like Shelley and Keats as well as others. I think it is a wonderful imaginative work on the life and last years/months of Bryon's life. It is wonderfully frank, as I imagined the Georgian's were (at least one reviewer on Goodreads finds it obscene in parts), and open about describing Byron's interest in boys (let me be clear that this teenaged/young men) as well as women, though I must be clear that in no way is Prokosch portraying Byron as 'gay', queer or homosexual and he sees Byron as indiscriminately sexual and all Prokosch does is make clear, which is quite interesting for a novel published in 1968, and is quite plain and open in language and details that Byron's insatiable sexuality also included his own sex. He certainly places Byron's interest in his own sex on the same level as his interest in women, it is a pity that Louis Crompton's 'Byron and Greek Love' was not available when Prokosch wrote this, if it was he probably would have made this aspect of Byron's life more specific. Interestingly neither the ancient Greeks nor Englishmen in the earlier Georgian years would have found anything odd in a a man who was sexual voracious for women being sexual voracious for men, they would have taken it for granted.
I have read all or part of half a dozen Byron biographies published in the last twenty years and it is amazing how Byron's queer (for want of a better word) life is still consistently played down, dismissed and ignored. Of course the same goes for every film or tv programme produced in the same period about the poet. It is really rather pleasing to see a novelist in 1968 treating this aspect of his life so openly and casually. But above all I found this novel to be a splendid work of the imagination that brought to life, honestly, but sympathetically, a man who although renowned as a great poet is probably never read today for pleasure. But then who reads poetry the way it was read in Byron's day and maybe until the first world war? I wish I did, but I don't, it is a habit I have never learnt, though at various times I have read with pleasure excerpts from Byron's great epics I know I will probably never read them in full.
Still this novel about Byron is probably a better thing to read than a biography, it delves deeper into the man's life, thoughts, actions and failures and not only tells why he was great, though flawed, but why he is still worth remembering and reading. I was pleased by how good this novel is and it has done more then anything to bring Byron and his times alive for me.
April 24, 2020
Απολαυστικό. Καταρρίπτει μυθεύματα γύρω από τον Μπάυρον. Στα χάιλαιτς: οι εκφυλιές του Μαυροκορδάτου - μετέπειτα αρχηγού (sic) του έθνους (sic), η πρόταση να γίνει βασιλιάς της Ελλάδος (δεν πρόκαμε...θα ήταν μια πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα διαστροφή της ιστορίας), η μια βραδιά στο λούκι με τον γνωστό μας πασά των Ιωαννίνων, η γνωστή ιστορία με τους Σέλλευ και τον Πολιντόρι. Φιλοσοφικές αναζητήσεις, λογοτεχνία, ποίηση.
March 3, 2020
I adored this book.
Yes, it was carnal. Yes, it was base at times. But it was also such a tour-de-force, such a literary masterpiece, that I felt I was in the presence of Lord Byron himself.
I grew to love his indefinable, elusive character, such as it was presented in this novel. This fictional Byron struck me as superficial yet mentally dexterous, capricious yet genuine, and most of all, real.
I was even charmed by whatever meaning he managed to extract from his omnivorously sensual lifestyle.
The language was also great. There were so many words that I had to look up in the dictionary, and I consider my vocabulary quite extensive, but not nearly as much as was presented in this book! I felt like I got smarter just by reading this, lol.
All in all a really good read.
Yes, it was carnal. Yes, it was base at times. But it was also such a tour-de-force, such a literary masterpiece, that I felt I was in the presence of Lord Byron himself.
I grew to love his indefinable, elusive character, such as it was presented in this novel. This fictional Byron struck me as superficial yet mentally dexterous, capricious yet genuine, and most of all, real.
I was even charmed by whatever meaning he managed to extract from his omnivorously sensual lifestyle.
The language was also great. There were so many words that I had to look up in the dictionary, and I consider my vocabulary quite extensive, but not nearly as much as was presented in this book! I felt like I got smarter just by reading this, lol.
All in all a really good read.
June 3, 2014
Me ha encantado este diario fictio de los últimos días de la vida del gran Lord Byron, que va dando un repaso a su vida y recordando a todas las personas importantes de su vida, desde Missolonghi. Bien podría haber sido verdad, pero las verdaderas memorias se extinguieron en un fuego eterno, que por el temor a que salieran a la luz, se prendieron fuego. Pero por lo menos, tenemos esta aproximación, que me ha emocionado bastante en sus últimas páginas. Un placer para tod@s aquell@s que amamos a Byron y a su poesía.
April 16, 2008
I'd known that Lord Byron was a romantic, but hadn't realized the extent of his philandering. Prokosch based the book on journals kept by Byron when he was writing his poetry and moving from place to place. Details of his long-term friendship with the Shelleys is included as well as the deaths of both Percy and Byron. I put the book down a couple of times, as I really didn't want to know many of the things included, but then I slogged on to the end.
January 15, 2009
On the obscene side but elegantly written nevertheless. It's the fictional diary of Lord Byron, -- and I don't care about Lord Byron, -- but this is one of my favorite fictional diaries.
And for how long did this review say "William Blake"? *sigh* I'm a moron.
And for how long did this review say "William Blake"? *sigh* I'm a moron.
December 29, 2007
Drôle d'histoire de Lord Byron... Longtemps avant le cercle/the ring, un malaise règle, une tâche...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews