Neighboring Lives

Carlyle, Swinburne, John Stuart Mill... Rossetti, Whistler, Lewis Carol... these and other "characters" come vividly to life in this extraordinary novel. Set within a few square blocks along the Thames, in Chelsea, Neighboring Lives is a glorious re-creation, based on historical fact, of the private and working lives of many of the nineteenth century's greatest artists and writers.

Thomas Carlyle, the future "Saga of Chelsea," and his wife, Jane, come to Chelsea in 1834. Leigh Hunt, already a danified failure, lives in squalor nearby. John Stuart Mill appears with his mistress. Chopin arrives dying. Lewis Carroll pursues his Alice. Whistler tries to elude his mother. Neighboring Lives makes us part of their world. Rich, exuberant, superbly written, it is at once a look at daily life and private secrests and a joyful excursion into a world of ideas.

Tom Disch is the author of many works of fiction, poetry, and criticism, including Yes, Let's and Dark Verses and Light.

Charles Naylor is a novelist, anthologist, and short story writer.