Christina rossetti biography book

I have just finished reading Jan Marsh’s monumental biography of the Victorian poet, Christina Georgina Rossetti, entitled, “Christina Rossetti: A Literary Biography,” and all I can say is “Bravo!” This extremely well written biography leads the reader through Christina’s interesting and complicated family life, as well as providing significant insight into the development of her poetic craft, and the intellectual stimulus behind much of her work.

Christina, born in 1830, was the youngest of four children, and wrote her first poem as a birthday present for her mother when she was eleven. Her elder siblings, Maria, Dante Gabriel, and William were also accomplished writers; and in Dante’s case, he was an incredibly talented artist as well.

I read Marsh’s biography of Christina concurrently, in a side-by-side fashion, with the Penguin Classics edition of “Christina Rossetti: The Complete Poems,” and it made the experience ever