"It may be apocryphal but it was said that General Allenby, in the middle of the campaign against the Turks in 1917, was rushing about his quarters, visibly flustered. 'Where's my Browning?' he demanded of his ADC. 'It's in your holster, sir', came the answer. 'Not the Browning revolver, I meant Robert Browning,' roared Allenby."
This anecdote comes from the first commenter on a recent Telegraph article encouraging us to celebrate Robert Browning's bicentennary "with loud, cheerful and sometimes discordant music."
Here's the Browning Society's roundup of events (unfortunately mostly in Britain) throughout the year.
This link includes a few events in the U.S. Unfortunately nothing is close enough for this Browning devotee to attend.
Browning Related Books
Biographies (I really need to do some research, because I have no idea which of the following biographies are the best.)
Forever in Joy: The Life of Robert Browning by Rosemary Sprague (167 pages)
Two Poets, a Dog, and a Boy by Theresa Russel
The title seems to indicate it must be about the Brownings' life in Florence
Robert Browning : A Life After Death by Pamela Neville-Sington
Don't worry! It's not spiritualistic – that was Elizabeth's problem – it's about Browning's life after her death. I'll admit this is the bio I'm most inclined to because it has a nice cover and is the most recent. Superficial, I know.
Fiction/Drama
Flush by Virginia Woolf (fiction, 110 pages)
This biographical novel about Elizabeth Barret Browning's dog undoubtedly includes Robert. Because I'm a dog-lover, have had it out from the library before, need to read more Woolf, and included it in my Classics Club list, I hereby vow to read this book, if I read no others.
The Barretts of Wimpole Street by Rudolph Besier
I used to be quite disdainful of the popularization of people as formidably intellectual as the Brownings, but now I think 92 pages of this might not hurt. Besides, I don't read enough drama.
Criticism
Robert Browning by G.K. Chesterton
Apparently this is a combination of biography and criticism. I've gained the impression that Chesterton was one of Browning's warmest admirers and ablest critics. I might listen to it from LibriVox.
Robert Browning by Robert B. Pearsall
A Twayne's critical guidebook that I read parts of earlier in the year. It's not bad, but I'd probably only finish to because of my OCD need to actually read books in full.
Faith of Robert Browning by Hugh Martin
I really can't find any information about this book that I found in the library archives, but since Robert Browning's faith is one of the things I love most about him, I might check it out.
Browning as Philosophical and Religious Teacher by Henry Jones
An online (1890) book I stumbled across, and which looks interesting, despite my inability to learn anything about the author.
His Own Works
The Complete Poetical Works of Browning
I really am not going to try to read approximately 1000 pages, but I may try to get through The Ring and the Book and read whatever else catches my eye.
I'll probably listen to a Naxos AudioBooks 80 minute recording of some of the notable poems. I don't like short verse, such as Emily Dickinson's, read, but I think a good reading could enhance my understanding of some dramatic monologues.
The Brownings: Letters and Poetry (edited?) by Christopher B. Ricks
I don't think this is the couple's full correspondence, but it might be a treat to read some of it.
If anyone knows of any good biographies or would like to contribute to this blog's celebrations of Robert Browning, please don't hesitate to comment.
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