The American Senator

'The American Senator' by Anthony Trollope contains one of his most memorable character creations in Arabella Trefoil, whose determination to find a wealthy husband at any cost lies at the heart of this story. The Senator of the title, Elias Gotobed, is attempting to learn more about England and the English, and through his eyes Trollope is able to parody many aspects of English life and customs. Themes of romance, ambition, marriage, as well as a host of humorous characters - 'The American Senator' contains all of the key ingredients which make up a Trollope tale.

Anthony Trollope (1815 – 1882) was a Victorian writer and author of 47 novels. He also wrote an autobiography, short stories and plays, travel articles, reviews and lectures. A prolific writer, he made no secret of the fact that money was his motivation for writing – an admission which raised eyebrows among his literary contemporaries at the time. The amount of works Trollope authored are testament to his belief in hard work. His first successful novel was The Warden followed by its sequel, Barchester Towers. The Chronicles of Barsetshire are perhaps his most well-known series of novels, though many of his works have been adapted for TV and radio, starring many familiar faces such as Alan Rickman, David Tennant, Bill Nighy and Tom Hollander. Alongside his literary career, Trollope also worked for some time for the Post Office and is credited with the introduction of the iconic post box to Britain. A memorial to Anthony Trollope was unveiled in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey in 1993.