Byron's War Romantic Rebellion, Greek Revolution

'Byron's War is a superb portrait of a complex personality. Drawing upon new archival research into the bitter civil wars between rival revolutionary factions, Beaton has constructed a gripping narrative of Byron's self-transformation from Philhellene to a pragmatic and courageous politicker. Far from playing at soldiers or sentimentalising the klephts, Byron was a moderniser and internationalist who saw the Greek revolution as a crucible whose future constitution might inspire the transformation of Europe.' Caroline Franklin, Swansea University 'There is nothing else like this book, for Beaton stands alone in his knowledge not just of the English and Greek sources, but also the English and Greek contemporary context. Byron's War changes our understanding of what Byron was trying to do in Greece, and will be the starting point for all subsequent discussions of the topic.' David Roessel, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey 'This is rigorous, scrupulous, academic history.' The Spectator '[A] great achievement ...' Times Higher Education 'This new work about Byron and his contribution to the Greek insurgency, by Roderick Beaton, a professor at King's College London, is the first to draw deeply on Greek as well as British sources. As a biographer of George Seferis, the Greek poet and Nobel Laureate, Mr Beaton is well placed to plunge into Athenian historiographical debates and the broader Hellenic search for self-understanding. ... a formidable array of detail ...' The Economist 'Indispensable ...' Literary Review