Robert Browning's London

Browning was born in a suburb of London in 1812 and wrote many of his early works in the city. One notable poem, “Porphyria”, was originally published in the January 1836 edition of The Monthly Repository. In 1842, he published an edited version of “Porphyria” under the title “Madhouse Cells” in Bells and Pomegranates. Both The Monthly Repository and Bells and Pomegranates were publications based in London. However, from 1846 to 1861, while living in Italy, Browning made no recorded edits to “Porphyria”. Interestingly, in 1863, just two years after moving back to London, Browning wrote a fair copy edition titled, “Porphyria’s Lover”, noting at the bottom of the page that the edition was written in London. The connection between these changes to “Porphyria” and the city of London suggests Browning may have found inspiration in London when composing and editing "Porphyria".

Coordinates

Latitude: 51.520693100000
Longitude: -0.182761700000

Timeline of Events Associated with Robert Browning's London

Date Event Manage
27 May 1863

Fair Copy Version of "Porphyria"

Composed several decades after its original publication in 1836, Robert Browning inscribed a hand-written fair copy version of "Porphyria" in 1863. The significance of this 1863 version comes from the fact that Robert Browning had only moved back to London two years prior in 1861, following the death of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. This signifies the 1863 fair copy version as the first preserved edit made to "Porphyria" since 1842, shortly before Browning's departure to Italy (1846).