Can You Forgive Her?

Anthony Trollope was born on 24 April 1815 and attended both Harrow and Winchester schools. His family were poor and eventually were forced to move to Belgium, where his father died. His mother, Frances Trollope, supported the family through writing. Trollope began a life-long career in the civil service with a position as clerk in the General Post Office in London - he is also credited with later introducing the pillar box. He published his first novel, The Macdermots of Ballycloran in 1847, but his fourth novel, The Warden (1855) began the series of 'Barsetshire' novels for which he was to become best known. This series of five novels featuring interconnecting characters spanned twenty years of Trollope's career as a novelist, as did the 'Palliser' series. He wrong over 47 novels in total, as well as short stories, biographies, travel books and his own autobiography, which was published posthumously in 1883. Trollope resigned from the Post Office in 1867 and stood for Parliament as a Liberal, though he was not elected. He died on 6 December 1882.

"Anthony Trollope knew more about women than any other novelist of his time" -- Joanna Trollope "He is not a soothing writer at all, in fact he's rather subversive. Nobody gets away with anything in Trollope" -- Victoria Glendinning "Trollope is wonderful, a major novelist, a joy... particularly admire his empathy with his characters, and the way in which he describes women...unique among male novelists, better even than Henry James, in his ability to enter the lives of women characters, and women on their own" -- P.D. James "Pithy and pungent, almost like Jane Austen" -- Amanda Craig