The letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Vol. 1 (of 2) 1845-1846

by Robert Browning

In January 1845 Robert Browning, then a little-known poet of thirty-two, wrote to Elizabeth Barrett, an invalid and already a celebrated poet, to tell her that he loved her verses, and her too. Their correspondence, kept secret from her domineering father, continued until their marriage and flight to Italy in September 1846. This first of two volumes, published in 1899 by their son, follows the first part of the exchange, from literary compliments and shy first meetings in her room in Wimpole Street to mutual declaration. Learned, playful, anxious and intensely personal, the letters tell a love story in the words of the lovers themselves. The full text is available to read online in your browser on Vinteuil, and the first letters are free.