Byron (of Rochdale), George (Gordon), 6th Baron

Romantic poet and satirist, who was famous also in his lifetime for his love affairs.

Byron was born with clubfoot and developed extreme sensitivity to his lameness - in his works Byron glorified proud and arrogant heroes, who bear one's misfortunes bravely and overcome hardships. His first ten years were spent in poor surroundings in Aberdeen. After he inherited the title and property of his great-uncle, he went on to Dulwich, Harrow and Cambridge, where he piled up depts and arouded alarm with bisexual love affairs.

Byron's first published collection of poetry, HOURS OF IDLENESS, appeared in 1807 and received bad reviews. Byton answered with satire ENGLISH BARDS AND SCOTCH REVIEWS in 1808, and set out on his grand tour, visiting Spain, Malta, Albania, Greece, and the Aegean.

Success came in 1812 when Byron published the first two cantos of CHILDE HAROLD'S PILGRIMAGE (1812-1818), becoming adored character of London society. During the summer of 1813 Byron apparently entered into more than brotherly relationship with his half-sister Augusta Leigh. He married Anne Isabella Milbanke in 1815, but the marriage was unhappy and they obtained legal separation next year.

Byron settled in 1816 in Geneva with Mary Godwin, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley. He wrote there the two cantos of Childe Harold and THE PRISONER OF CHILLON. At the end of the summer Byron continued his travels, spending two years in Italy. In 1824 he sailed to Greece to aid the Greek's who had risen against the Turks. In April he contracted the fever from which he died in Missolonghi.

NOTE: The high-level universal computer programming language, ADA, was named after Byron's daughter Countess Augusta Ada Lovelace (1815-52), a writer and mathematican, a friend of computer pioneer Charles Babbage (1791-1871).

See also: Aleksandr Pushkin

Selected works:

• HOURS OF IDLENESS, 1807
• ENGLISH BARDS AND SCOTCH REVIEWERS, 1809
• CHILDE HAROLD'S PILGRIMAGE, 1812-18
• THE GIAOUR, 1813
• THE BRIDE OF ABYDOS, 1813
• THE CORSAIR, 1814
• LARA, 1814
• THE PRISONER OF CHILLON, 1816
• MANFRED, 1817
• BEPPO, 1818
• MAZEPPA, 1818
• DON JUAN, 1819-24
• MARINO FALIERO, 1821
• THE PROPHECY OF DANTE, 1821
• THE TWO FOSCARI, 1821
• SARDANAPOULUS, 1821
• CAIN, 1821
• HEAVEN AND EARTH, 1821
• THE VISION ON JUDGMENT, 1822
• THE DEFORMED TRANSFORMED, 1824
• THE LETTERS AND JOURNALS BY LORD BYRON, 1830 (see Thomas Moore )

Compiled by Kuusankoski Public Library, Finland (© 1997) and René Märtin (© 1998-2001).