author
Countess of Marguerite Blessington
1789–1849
Best known for her vivid Conversations of Lord Byron and for the brilliant literary salon she kept in London, this Irish writer moved easily between fashionable society and the world of books. Her life was dramatic, social, and deeply literary, and her work still offers a lively window into the culture of the early nineteenth century.
4 Audiobooks
The Idler in France
by Countess of Marguerite Blessington
The belle of a season
by Countess of Marguerite Blessington
Desultory thoughts and reflections
by Countess of Marguerite Blessington
Rambles in Waltham Forest : a stranger's contribution to the triennial sale for the benefit of the Wanstead Lying-in Charity
by Countess of Marguerite Blessington
About the author
Born Marguerite Power in County Tipperary, Ireland, in 1789, she later became Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington. She is remembered as a novelist, journalist, and literary hostess whose charm and intelligence helped make her one of the best-known women of letters in early Victorian Britain.
After marrying the Earl of Blessington, she spent time on the Continent and became acquainted with Lord Byron in Genoa. That friendship led to her best-known book, Conversations of Lord Byron, while her later writing also included novels, society sketches, and journal work.
Back in London, she became famous for the salon she held at Gore House, where writers, artists, and public figures gathered. Her reputation today rests not only on her books but also on the lively cultural world she helped create around her.