Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright born in Camberwell, London in 1812. He was an intelligent child who was fluent in five languages by the age of fourteen. He was also passionate about poetry and was a talented musician, composing arrangements of several songs as well as writing poetry.
In 1845 he met the far more established poet Elizabeth Barrett, they married secretly a year later and moved to Italy, during which time they both wrote extensively. However, his poems made little impact until 1861, when, after Elizabeth’s death he returned to England. His subsequent publication The Ring and the Book, published in four volumes was a huge success, cementing his reputation as one of the foremost Victorian poets, alongside his wife. He died at his and Elizabeth’s son’s home in Venice, Italy in 1889.[1]
