The Letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Volume 2 of 2)

Through a series of letters written between 1851 and 1861, Elizabeth Barrett Browning opens a window onto a restless decade of travel, politics, and poetic creation. From the sun‑drenched hills of Tuscany to the bustling streets of Paris and London, her correspondence records encounters with artists, reformers, and the turbulent events reshaping Italy and Europe. The letters reveal how her own verse—most notably the politically charged “Casa Guidi Windows”—was shaped by the very landscapes and debates she describes.

In addition to her literary pursuits, Browning offers candid reflections on the personal losses and health challenges that marked this period, from the death of close friends to the strain of long journeys. Her letters also sketch the wider world: the Crimean War, the rise of Napoleon III, and the fervent discussions surrounding the Great Exhibition, all filtered through a poetic sensibility. For listeners, the collection provides a vivid, first‑person chronicle that intertwines the intimate rhythms of everyday life with the grand currents of mid‑nineteenth‑century Europe.