Two centuries after his death, why is Lord Byron still seductive?
The poet is celebrated where he spent his period of exile
Even before rumours of his affair with his half-sister spread, Lord Byron had a reputation for scandal. His lover Lady Caroline Lamb famously described him as “mad, bad and dangerous to know”. That did not stop women besotted with his poetry from sending letters, invitations to parties and requests for locks of his hair. “I have been more ravished myself than anybody since the Trojan war,” Byron insisted.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Mad, bad and dangerous to know”
Culture August 17th 2024
- Reality TV is irritating but irresistible
- Two centuries after his death, why is Lord Byron still seductive?
- A famous forecaster takes on the establishment
- What Bill Gates reveals about other billionaires
- Three years ago this month America withdrew from Afghanistan
- On some holidays, beauty and bloodshed are entwined
Discover more
Angela Merkel sets out to restore her reputation
But her new memoir is unlikely to change her critics’ minds
The best books of 2024, as chosen by The Economist
Readers will never think the same way again about games, horses and spies
What to read to understand Elon Musk
The world’s richest man was shaped by science fiction
Tech and religion are very much alike
They both have gods, rich institutions and secretive cultures
Woodrow Wilson’s reputation continues to decline
A dispassionate new biography chronicles the former president’s hostility to suffrage
The cult of Jordan Peterson
What the Canadian intellectual gets right about young men