Sonnets from the Portuguese

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Sonnets from the Portuguese

Nadi from the orluguese
LibriVox Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Sonnets from the Portuguese
By Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

Sonnets from the Portuguese chronicles one of the most famous romances in history. The
renowned Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett wrote the sonnet sequence during her
courtship by Robert Browning, and later presented them to him as a wedding gift.
Robert was astounded by the quality of the poetry, and encouraged her to publish, but
Elizabeth objected on the grounds that the content was too personal. At last, Robert
prevailed, and Elizabeth published her sonnets. The title of the book comes from a joke
between Robert and Elizabeth Browning. Elizabeth was too embarrassed to publish the
sonnets as a personal chronicle, so she decided to pretend they were a translation from
a foreign language. Robert's nickname for her was “My Little Portuguese” due to her
dark hair and olive complexion, and so the sequence was forever known as “Sonnets
from the Portuguese.” (Summary by Kirsten Ferreri)

Read by Stan Stinson; total running time: 00:42:55. Dedicated Proof-Listener: Betty M.
Meta-Coordinator/Cataloging: Ezwa.

This recording is in the public domain and may be reproduced, distributed, or modified without permission.
For more information or to volunteer, visit librivox.org.

Cover picture by sabine Saumermaul. http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=26061
&picture=background-245. Cover design by Janette Brown. This design is in the public domain.

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