( George Gordon Byron 1788–1824)
an English poet whose life is as well known as his poetry. He had many love affairs, and probably had a child by his half-sister (= sister by a different mother). One of his lovers, Lady Caroline Lamb, famously described him as ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’. He was a leading figure in the Romantic Movement and himself lived the life of a romantic hero, often unhappy about a love affair and angry about the unfair political and social situations he saw around him. His work, including Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812–18) and Don Juan (1818–20), often expresses the same feelings. Rejected by British society, he spent much of his life abroad, and died helping the Greeks in their struggle against Turkish rule.