Byron

Reviews / Votes

David Ellis's intelligent and fair-minded new short Life for Reaktion. -- Seamus Perry * The Times Literary Supplement * A spirited biography . . . [and] solid introduction to a captivating literary figure. * Publishers Weekly * A brisk, insightful literary biography. * Kirkus Reviews * If any poet's biography is worth knowing, it's Byron's, simply because the life was so full of incident. This does not mean that a biography could explain him, any more than reading his wonderful letters and journals can explain him, but they comprise a superior form of entertainment. David Ellis has now published a short biography, more a sketch of the life, in the Critical Lives series from Reaktion Books. It touches on the major influences and events. -- David Mason * The Hudson Review * Byron biographer David Ellis [writes] about the romantic poet's flamboyant life and work. -- Jacke Wilson * The History of Literature Podcast * David Ellis provides a concise and distinct review of Byron's life and works . . . Detailing Byron's complex life is certainly no straightforward task, yet Ellis approaches the subject with expertise, utilising a variety of well-placed sources, understanding and good humour to create a vivid and unbiased portrayal of one of history's most celebrated poets. -- Tomas Stanger * The Pilgrim magazine * A lively and reliable picture of Byron's life and works. David Ellis delivers an even-handed account of the poet's adventures abroad and of the many dramas in his life - personal, financial, literary and political. * Christopher W. Thompson, Emeritus Professor of French, University of Warwick * David Ellis has written a witty, lucid and richly informative book that demonstrates what a great comic writer Lord Byron was; it's brief, but every page punches above its weight. * John Worthen, biographer and Professor of English, University of Nottingham *