Trollope, Anthony (1815-1882), was a popular English novelist of the 1800’s. He was over 30 years old when his first book was published. But after he started, he wrote with such regularity that his novels and tales fill more than 50 volumes.
Trollope’s most famous books are the “Barsetshire Novels.” These six stories about life in the imaginary county of Barsetshire, and especially the cathedral city of Barchester, are mildly satirical. But their tone shows Trollope’s affectionate tolerance for the weaknesses of his basically generous and well-meaning characters.
The Barsetshire novels are The Warden (1855), Barchester Towers (1857), Doctor Thorne (1858), Framley Parsonage (1861), The Small House at Allington (1864), and The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867). Trollope’s other works include social satire novels, such as The Bertrams (1859) and The Way We Live Now (1875); political novels, such as The Eustace Diamonds (1873); and novels of psychological analysis, such as Cousin Henry (1879).
Trollope was born on April 24, 1815, in London. In his autobiography, he described his unhappy childhood. His family was poor. Frances Trollope, Anthony’s mother, was also a famous writer. She wrote Domestic Manners of the Americans (1832) after a visit to the United States. The book sold well but did not provide enough money to pay the family bills. All his life, Trollope remembered the humiliation of those early years.
Before he became a writer, Trollope worked for many years as a postal clerk. He designed the red mail boxes that are still used in England. He died on Dec. 6, 1882.
