Swinburne: The Poet in His World

A child of the Victorian age, Algernon Charles Swinburne was its severest critic. He grew to become a figurehead of rebellion and modernity in the literature of the later nineteenth century, his verse proclaiming a revolution not only in the political affairs of Europe but in poetry and morals. He outraged bourgeois sensibilities with his vigorous, colorful, and frankly sensual verse. In this perceptive biography, Donald Thomas vividly portrays Swinburne as the fiery, brandy-inspired orator of his youth―a visible and striking symbol of the new order―and also as the meek versifier of his later years. Thomas succeeds in drawing an absorbing and lively picture not only of Swinburne the poet but also of the man and the world in which he lived. “So good...it leaves out none of the famous anecdotes, is un-coy and explicit about sex, and gives the appearance of being written by someone who relishes the poetry but who is capable of appreciating the parodies of it...Mr. Thomas is a reliable historian and a good writer.”―Paul Levy, London Observer. “One can readily recommend this book to advanced undergraduates or general readers.”―Choice.