The Making of the Poets

by Ian Gilmour

Book by Ian Gilmour

Genres: Biography, Poetry, Biography Memoir, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Zandra]

'Byron and Shelley were opposed to virtually all the institutions of Church and state...that combination of oppositions was not common in any class. Among Old Etonians and Old Harrovians it was rare, if not unique. The early life of Byron and Shelley has thus not merely made them the poets they were; it had made them heretics or rebels as well.' I found this book a helpful exploration of why and how Byron and Shelley might have adopted their radical political positions, at odds with the countervailing move in English society to greater moral and political conservatism as a reaction against the French Revolution. Ian Gilmour was a barrister, journalist, politician and writer and I found his book refreshingly opinionated, yet sometimes his conclusions felt more speculative than certain. Gilmour was clearly a witty, cultivated man who was as interested in Byron and Shelley's messy lives as he was in their poetic achievements. When read in conjunction with other, fuller biographies this is an interesting contribution to the 'conversation'.

[Curmudgeon]

Moderately interesting premise (the lives of the young Byron & Shelley in the context of the politics of their age), but very poorly executed. Gilmour's prose is so clunky that I found myself having to re-read some sentences multiple times to uncover their meaning. There is very little info about the younger days of either man, so half the book winds up being mostly conjecture, and their early adulthoods are covered better in other biographies. The wider context of the world they lived in is probably made much clearer by other books as well. Since this book's chronology stops before Byron and Shelley ever actually meet, it makes it all the more pointless that the two of them are presented here in tandem.

[David A-S]

I love the idea of this book. The poets, themselves, are really interesting and Gilmour's command of the era is broad and wide. That said, the writing can be needlessly dense and weblike, further Gilmour has a very prominent voice. In the end, though, I learned a great deal and am not upset to have read it. As all the reviews say, it is a good review of the historical register of this age and its politics.

[Kiof]

I think this book is quite good, it's a worthwhile read. I didn't know anything about "the poets" and not much about the era. I came out with much information about both (did you know mercury and arsenic were commonly used to treat venereal diseases?)

[Freda]

An illuminating approach, to tackle the lives of these two poets side by side. Comprehensive, with some not very reticent speculations and downright assertions making strong stuff for the reader to absorb. Eyebrow raising at times.

[Bo White]

read this while in the Lake District a while back....need I say more.