Lavengro, an Autobiography: how Borrow’s life story grew into a landmark work
This volume traces the birth of George Borrow’s Lavengro, the autobiography written as a companion to his Bible in Spain. It reveals how friends’ hints and publishers’ expectations shaped the book’s early form, and how Borrow’s life became the central subject of the narrative. The text also situates the manuscript within Borrow’s wider career, from his travels with Gypsies to his linguistic pursuits, offering a detailed look at how this influential work came to be.
- Learn how the project began as a plan to tell Borrow’s life from childhood to his adventures in Spain.
- See how correspondence and editorial notes influenced the structure and pacing of the autobiography.
- Discover the relationship between Lavengro and its later companion, The Romany Rye, and how both fit into the larger arc of Borrow’s writing.
- Explore the scholarly apparatus that accompanies the edition, including manuscript notes and biographical context.
Ideal for readers of literary biography, Victorian travel writing, and George Borrow’s enduringly curious life and works.