Miranda Seymour Libri

This biography of the poet Robert Graves has been written with the co-operation of his family and with access to private papers and photographs.

A biography of a memorable figure from the Bloomsbury period. There are revelations regarding her affairs with Bertrand Russell, Augustus John and Axel Munthe. This is also the story of her friendships with D.H. Lawrence, Lytton Strachey, Virginia Woolf, Katherine Mansfield and Aldous Huxley.

‘A kind of blissography, teeming with bon mots’ Sunday Times

'The most dazzling biography of a female writer to have come my way for a decade...' - Financial Times 'To be savoured for its vivid and sympathetic recreation of the tragic life and brilliant times of the gifted Mary Shelley' - Times Literary Supplement 'Brilliant and enthralling' - Independent On Sunday 'Wonderfully vivid' - Spectator The definitive and richly woven biography of Mary Shelley, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Frankenstein The creator of the world's most famous outsider became one herself . . . There is no more dramatic scene in literary history than the stormy night by Lake Geneva when Byron, Claire Clairmont, Polidori and the Shelleys met to talk of horror and the unexplained. From that emerged Frankenstein, a monster who has haunted imaginations for two hundred years. Miranda Seymour illustrates the rich and unexplored life of Mary Shelley. Everything from her childhood to her tempestuous relationship with Percy Shelley; Seymour brings to life the brilliant mind that created Frankenstein through unexplored and intriguing sources. The Mary Shelley we meet here is a woman we can engage with and understand. Her world, so rich in its settings and its cast of characters, seems drawn from a novel. She, at its centre, is flawed, brave, generous, and impetuous, a woman whose dark and brilliant imagination gave us a myth which seems ever more potent in our own era.

The narrative explores the deep and complex relationship between England and Germany, spanning centuries of both connection and rivalry. Through the lives of diverse figures, including royalty, artists, and everyday citizens, the author presents a vivid and emotional history that highlights enduring bonds often overlooked in contemporary discourse. The intertwining stories reveal the rich tapestry of shared experiences and conflicts that have shaped both nations.

Written with the blessing of the Graves family, this is the definitive biography of one of our greatest poets and writers. schovat popis

In 1613 a beautiful Stuart princess married a handsome young German prince. This was a love match, but it was also an alliance that aimed to weld together Europe's two great Protestant powers. Before Elizabeth and Frederick left London for the court in Heidelberg, they watched a performance of The Winter's Tale. In 1943, a group of British POWS gave a performance of that same play to a group of enthusiastic Nazi guards in Bavaria. When the amateur actors suggested doing a version of The Merchant of Venice that showed Shylock as the hero, the guards brought in the costumes and helped create the sets. Nothing about the story of England and Germany, as this remarkable book demonstrates, is as simple as we might expect. A shared faith, a shared hunger for power, a shared culture (Germany never doubted that Shakespeare belonged to them, as much as to England); a shared leadership. German monarchs ruled over England for three hundred years - and only ceased to do so through a change of name.

Exploring the complexities of obsessive desire and misplaced love, this biography and family memoir weaves together humor and heartbreak. The narrative reveals the shocking and often devastating effects of these emotions on the author's life and family, making for a riveting and unforgettable true story.

BYRON'S WAKEThe Extraordinary Story of Lord Byron's Wife and Daughter:Annabella Milbanke and Ada Lovelace The only legitimate daughter of Lord Byron, Ada Lovelace was to become a pioneer of the computer revolution. This masterful new biography is a portrait of two remarkable women, Ada and her mother Annabella, haunted by the mercurial spirit of the notorious poet.