'I hated the office. I hated my work...the only career in life within
my reach was that of an author.'
The only autobiography by a major Victorian novelist, Trollope's account
offers a fascinating insight into his literary life and opinions. After
a miserable childhood and misspent youth, Trollope turned his life
around at the age of twenty-six. By 1860 the 'hobbledehoy' had become
both a senior civil servant and a best-selling novelist. He worked for
the Post Office for many years and stood unsuccessfully for Parliament.
Best-known for the two series of novels grouped loosely around the
clerical and political professions, the Barsetshire and Palliser series,
in his Autobiography Trollope frankly describes his writing habits.
His apparent preoccupation with contracts, deadlines, and earnings, and
his account of the remorseless regularity with which he produced his
daily quota of words, has divided opinion ever since.
This edition reassesses the work's distinctive qualities and includes a
selection of Trollope's critical writings to show how subtle and complex
his approach to literature really was.
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