Title

The Immortal Dinner: A Famous Evening of Genius and Laughter in Literary London, 1817

Penelope Hughes-Hallett

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Published by Vintage Digital, part of Vintage Publishing

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Format: ebook

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Details

EAN: 9781446450789
Published: 3 May 2012

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About the book

Synopsis

Between Christmas and new year of 1817 the eccentric painter, B.R. Haydon, gave a famous dinner party. His guests included three of the greatest literary stars of the age: the poets John Keats and William Wordsworth and the essayist and wit Charles Lamb. They recited poetry, took part in ridiculous antics, indulged in high-minded discussions - with such displays of brilliance that the party became known as the Immortal Dinner.

Penelope Hughes-Hallett celebrates this famous evening, setting it against a backdrop of change, reflected in the preoccupations of the illustrious diners. A compelling and sympathetic picture emerges of these rare spirits and the age which created them.

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What the critics say

A colourful portrait of a pivotal moment in England's cultural and social history
- Observer

An absorbing account... a fascinating re-creation of an evening and a world
- BBC History Magazine

A book of great charm... [lets] the reader feel that he is present at the memorable occassion
- Independent on Sunday

Popular history at its most delicious
- Economist

The biographical equivalent of the world in a grain of sand... an interesting and erudite account of a wonderful evening
- The Times

One of those books that helped redefine popular history writing
- Big Issue

charming group biography
- Daily Telegraph

Enjoyable history…gives a wider picture of Regency society. A memorable evening, memorably evoked
- Independent on Sunday

By this author

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About the Author

Penelope Hughes-Hallett was born in 1927 and spent her childhood at Steventon, Hampshire, where Jane Austen was brought up. Her books include 'My Dear Cassandra': Illustrated Letters of Jane Austen and Home at Grasmere: The Wordsworths and the Lakes. She was a tutor and lecturer with the Open University, subsequently becoming one of its governors, a patron of the Wordsworth Trust and trustee of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. She died in 2010.