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Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope, known and loved for the imaginary worlds and characters he created in the Barsetshire and Palliser series, remains one of the most popular of Victorian novelists. In an astonishing literary career, which began in 1847, he published forty-seven novels, forty-two stories, five travel books, and many articles, essays and lectures.
Typically Victorian, but with surprisingly modern insights, he enjoyed two successful careers and a happy domesticity; he became a clubman, a failed politician, and displayed an inexhaustible zest for travel and experience.
His early life was marred by his father's failure, but improved somewhat when his mother, Frances, achieved overnight literary success. Having joined the Post Office as a clerk in 1834, Trollope went on to revitalise postal services in England, Ireland and overseas.
Typically Victorian, but with surprisingly modern insights, he enjoyed two successful careers and a happy domesticity; he became a clubman, a failed politician, and displayed an inexhaustible zest for travel and experience.
His early life was marred by his father's failure, but improved somewhat when his mother, Frances, achieved overnight literary success. Having joined the Post Office as a clerk in 1834, Trollope went on to revitalise postal services in England, Ireland and overseas.
- GenresBiography
122 pages, Paperback
First published October 21, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 7, 2024
A highly readable short, but complete and detailed, account of the life of one of the most popular of Victorian novelists.
Anthony Trollope was not particularly well thought of as a schoolboy at Harrow nor when he first joined the Post Office. But he developed his civil service career to such an extent that he eventually had a number of important and well paid posts, at home and abroad.
In addition he turned to writing and once again, although his first two novels were not particularly well received, he became one of the top writers of the day. His Barsetshire series and Palliser series certainly put him in the top rank of novelists. And he also wrote a number of travel books, which were equally well received.
Graham Handley handles his subject admirably and in great detail for such a short biography, covering personal, professional and critical aspects of his long life. He draws on Trollope's posthumous 'An Autobiography' to illustrate his points and studies many of the books in sufficient detail for the reader to have a good understanding of Trollope's work and his place in the vast panorama of Victorian literature.
The book is a most agreeable literary work.
7 October 2024
Arguably one of the Big Three of Victorian literature (Dickens and Thackeray being the other two) with his 47 novels,42 stories, five travel books plus very many articles for a variety of magazines, it was a pleasure to reread this pocket biography, which is an ideal start for someone who is setting out to study Trollope in more detail or who just wants to get a feel for a really great author. But despite his success he had his critics in his time and his work was often undervalued and when his posthumous autobiography was published his quality suffered something of a setback for, estimating what he had earned from his writings book by book, critics thought he was simply writing for the money.
But if for no other reason than his two lengthy series, The Barsetshire novels and the Pallister novels (if you have not watched the BBC dramatisation of the Pallisers, I do thoroughly recommend it) were good enough to put him in the top rank of Victorian writers on their own.
He was also a workaholic for he maintained an ambitious Post Office career along with his writing for many a long year. And he only left the Post Office because he felt that he had been overlooked for another promotion!
He lived a happy family life and when he went on his travels, Australia, West Indies, America and elsewhere he usually took his wife with him. He also dabbled with being an MP but without success.
It is a delightful book the way it is presented makes it a very easy book to read ... and enjoy (again for me).
Anthony Trollope was not particularly well thought of as a schoolboy at Harrow nor when he first joined the Post Office. But he developed his civil service career to such an extent that he eventually had a number of important and well paid posts, at home and abroad.
In addition he turned to writing and once again, although his first two novels were not particularly well received, he became one of the top writers of the day. His Barsetshire series and Palliser series certainly put him in the top rank of novelists. And he also wrote a number of travel books, which were equally well received.
Graham Handley handles his subject admirably and in great detail for such a short biography, covering personal, professional and critical aspects of his long life. He draws on Trollope's posthumous 'An Autobiography' to illustrate his points and studies many of the books in sufficient detail for the reader to have a good understanding of Trollope's work and his place in the vast panorama of Victorian literature.
The book is a most agreeable literary work.
7 October 2024
Arguably one of the Big Three of Victorian literature (Dickens and Thackeray being the other two) with his 47 novels,42 stories, five travel books plus very many articles for a variety of magazines, it was a pleasure to reread this pocket biography, which is an ideal start for someone who is setting out to study Trollope in more detail or who just wants to get a feel for a really great author. But despite his success he had his critics in his time and his work was often undervalued and when his posthumous autobiography was published his quality suffered something of a setback for, estimating what he had earned from his writings book by book, critics thought he was simply writing for the money.
But if for no other reason than his two lengthy series, The Barsetshire novels and the Pallister novels (if you have not watched the BBC dramatisation of the Pallisers, I do thoroughly recommend it) were good enough to put him in the top rank of Victorian writers on their own.
He was also a workaholic for he maintained an ambitious Post Office career along with his writing for many a long year. And he only left the Post Office because he felt that he had been overlooked for another promotion!
He lived a happy family life and when he went on his travels, Australia, West Indies, America and elsewhere he usually took his wife with him. He also dabbled with being an MP but without success.
It is a delightful book the way it is presented makes it a very easy book to read ... and enjoy (again for me).
December 14, 2025
A solid, informative, and enjoyable 100 page biography of Anthony Trollope's life and works. A good background to understanding what made him tick, and the experiences that infuses his books.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews