"Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" is a large lyrical epic poem written by George Gordon Byron. He started on writing this poem during his stay in Albania in 1809, publishing the first two parts in 1812, followed by the third one in 1816, and the last in 1818. This long pauses during making this poem, made the […]
George Gordon Byron
George Gordon Byron was one of the greatest English and British poets and one of the leading figure of the romanticism, a literary movement in 19th century. Known simply as Lord Byron, he is the author of some of the world's best-known narrative poems - "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" and "Don Juan".
George Gordon Byron was born in 1788. in London, although some states that he was born in Dover. He comes from a poor aristocratic family, but he has spent most of his life in Scotland. He lived in poverty and sorrow because of his dysplasia, because of which he was afflicted with a limp, and caused him some mental instability.
In 1798. he inherited Newstead Abbey estate which came with a title of Lord that Byron got. That title made Byron rich, but he didn't become any happier. On his mood, character and psyche were affected a lot by his emotionally unstable mother, and alcoholic nanny. That's why he also became emotionally unstable, and lonely, but vain.
Byron got his highschool education in Harrow and got his university diploma in Cambridge. During his schooling he fell in love with his cousin, who rejected his love, focusing on his physical defect. This rejection marked his love life and made him think of women as selfish and cynical human beings. He also thought that emotional relationships can't bring a man any good. That's why he repeatedly entered in scandalous and unhappy love affairs.
Because of his sense of inferiority, caused by hid limp, Byron grew up as rebelious men, very sensitive and unadjusted to the world and very disappointed by the society he was a part of.
His first collection of poems was published when Byron was eighteen years old, under the title "Hours of Idleness". Two years afterward, he decided to respond to many critics that his book got, by publishing his work of satire named "English Bards and Scott Reviews".
When he was 21. Byron became a member of Upper House of Lords. He had a profuse and dissolute lifestyle, and tareget of gossip to upper-class society. Lord Byron traveled a lot. He sailed on the Meditarenian sea from 1809. to 1811. He traveled to Spain, Protugal, Turkey, Malta, and Albania. A year after his comeback from traveling he published to songs from his poem "Childe Harold". It was very good accepted among the readers. He became fameous almost overnight, and Byron was delighted by it.
After that, he put all of his effort in writing. He got married and became a father. But his marriage didn't last long because his wife found out that he was in a romantic relationship with his half-sister Augusta. Right after divorce, Byron left England, because he became unwanted in upper-class salons. He went to Schwitzerland. Soon he moved to Italy, where he continues with his literar work.
In 1837. he went to Greece to help then with their rising against Turkey. But very soon after that, he died of a fever, before his 37th birthday.
His most famous works are "Hours od Idleness", "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage", "Don Juan", "Lara, a tale", "Parisina", "The dream", " Manfred" and others.
