Keats: A Brief Life in Nine Poems and One Epitaph

A fresh interpretation of the great Romantic poet- this short biography separates the man from the myth. 'Outstanding... The best short introduction I have come across' Sunday Times When he died at the age of just twenty-five, few imagined John Keats would one day be considered among the greatest poets of all time. Taking nine of Keats's best-known poems, Lucasta Miller excavates their backstories and, in doing so, resurrects the real Keats- an outsider from a damaged family whose visceral love of language allowed him to change the face of English literature for ever. Combining close-up readings with the story of his brief existence, Miller shows us how Keats crafted his groundbreaking poetry and explains why it continues to speak to us across the centuries. 'One never wants Keats's life to end so soon; I didn't want this book to end, either' TLS Books of the Year 'Irresistible... Miller digs into the backstories of her subject's most famous poems to uncover aspects of his life and work that challenge well-worn romantic myths' Wall Street Journal

About the Author :
Lucasta Miller is a biographer and critic, whose articles have appeared in a wide number of publications, especially the Guardian. She is the author of two previous books on nineteenth-century literature, The Bronte Myth and L.E.L.- the Lost Life and Mysterious Death of the 'Female Byron', and is currently an Honorary Research Associate at University College, London and a Royal Literary Fund Fellow.

Review :
In lucid, graceful prose she [Miller] manages to bring us closer to the life and work of a poet who never seemed that far away... I didn't want this book to end. An enlightening and perceptive introduction to (or reminder of) the great Romantic poet's life and work. Outstanding... [Miller's] knowledge of all things Keatsian is formidable... For newcomers to Keats, Miller's is the best short introduction I have come across. Miller disrobes the myth, while helping us to appreciate what she calls Keats's "vertiginous originality". As a wittily perceptive introduction to (or reminder of) the poet and his work, her book is unlikely to be surpassed any time soon. Lucasta Miller's task, which she carries out very successfully, is to strip away what we think when we think about Keats... This excellent book... enters an already crowded market of Keats biographies, but earns its place through its firm basis in precise reading. Miller is empathetic, and relishes Keats's best phrases. Lucasta Miller's brilliant life of Keats, told through a close reading of "nine poems and one epitaph", reminds us more than once of the way in which Keats can deploy Shakespearean techniques to stop us in our readerly tracks. A timely and fresh re-appropriation of Keats... satisfying, engaging and accessible. Excellent... [Keats] challenges us to make up our own minds about the self-styled 'chamelion poet'. A readable guide to the poet's life. Creates a vivid picture of Keats's writing process. Thought-provoking… No single reading or assertion dominates the book…everything is treated with deep care and admirably intelligent judgement.